benklea Posted July 2, 2009 Report Share Posted July 2, 2009 Hi there, I'm looking for some information on a Cello I picked up from a family member a number of years ago. This person was getting rid of some of the odds and ends and I grabbed this cello with the intent to possibly restore it and play it. I play guitar and have always wanted to learn cello, but alas work and a baby have got in the way. Now it's just sitting around waiting to be broke by our 1.5 year old, so we thought we should get rid of it. I figured I would at least take the time to find out more about it before we did anything. Anyway, about the cello. You'll have to pardon my ignorance with terminology. The cello appears to be a 3/4 (27in body length - not counting the neck). The condition is pretty rough, the nut is missing, the bridge is missing, strings are missing and there appear to be a number of hairline cracks in the top of the body. The back is actually in pretty decent shape. On the inside is a makers label with the following: F. Breton, brevete - M. La Duchesse - a Mirecourt 1831. On the other side of the label is: de S.M.G - d'Angouleme - (in scripted writing) Breton. Below this are 2 repair stickers. The first was in 1931 by Jas A. Fuller and Sons, with Ft Wayne, IN handwritten on the label. The other is from 1946 and says Horacek Vore (Vose?), Gurnee, IL. I was just wondering if there is any value to the cello and what the best course of action would be. We are pretty set on getting rid of it though. If any other information would be helpful, let me know. I could post a picture if that would be helpful. Thank you for your time, Ben Klea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew weinstein Posted July 3, 2009 Report Share Posted July 3, 2009 Pictures would be helpful. If it's in decent condition , it should have some value. The original Bretons were fairly good instruments, but later in the 19th century the name was used by factories who churned out many thousands of them. According to Henley Francois Breton died in 1830 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benklea Posted July 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 3, 2009 Thank you for the reply. I will try to get some pictures uploaded after work. I noticed as well that a Francois Breton died in 1830. It's possible I'm misreading the label. As far as condition, it looks rough to me but I really have no idea what "rough" is and what can be restored. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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