Anybody want a Tubbs?

[PhilipKT]

It’s in England somewhere, circa 1880, so one of his good early ones, if it’s real.

[PhilipKT]

https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/A-FINE-19TH-CENTURY-SILVER-MOUNT-ENGLISH-VIOLIN-B-457-c-B674F5FA39

[Mansfield Piggot]

if you go to 47 wardour street, london england with google street view there's a homeless guy in the street in front of it on his hands and knees in the middle of the crowd

[Mansfield Piggot]

with les miserables showing on the corner no less

[PhilipKT]

46 minutes ago, Bill Merkel said:

with les miserables showing on the corner no less

 

1 hour ago, Bill Merkel said:

if you go to 47 wardour street, london england with google street view there's a homeless guy in the street in front of it on his hands and knees in the middle of the crowd

I have no idea what that means.

[Rue]

...might have something to do with bollocks...

 

[Mansfield Piggot]

31 minutes ago, Rue said:

...might have something to do with bollocks...

 

47 wardour is the address of tubbs' shop

[martin swan]

35 minutes ago, PhilipKT said:

 

I have no idea what that means.

James Tubbs had his workshop at 47 Wardour Street.

https://www.instantstreetview.com/@51.511549,-0.132178,283.93h,5p,1z

[Shelbow]

How curious

[martin swan]

Anyway, the guy is outside 45 Wardour Street, so I doubt he's paying homage to the ghost of Tubbs.

 

 

[Mansfield Piggot]

i love to visit landmarks on street view and wonder if the current occupants have any idea

[Rue]

The odds that the current occupants would be interested in a violin bowmaker are miniscule. 

However - for those of us who are - a plaque would be awesome! 

[Shelbow]

I should put up some DIY plaques whilst i'm strolling through London town.

 

[Mansfield Piggot]

spray something on the "wong kei" restaurant too... wonky?  wrong key?

 

[martin swan]

[Rue]

Oh! Well, there you go! 

Shelbow- you're off the hook! 

[PhilipKT]

It’s a real Tubbs bow isn’t it?

 

[martin swan]

You'd hope so at that estimate ...

[PhilipKT]

6 hours ago, martin swan said:

You'd hope so at that estimate ...

Wouldn’t a real Tubbs violin bow from the 1880s be worth 7-8 times that?

[Jeffrey Holmes]

22 minutes ago, PhilipKT said:

Wouldn’t a real Tubbs violin bow from the 1880s be worth 7-8 times that?

Not all Tubbs bows were created equal. Weight, strength, condition, auctioneer's judgement, etc. 

[martin swan]

55 minutes ago, PhilipKT said:

Wouldn’t a real Tubbs violin bow from the 1880s be worth 7-8 times that?

Aside from Jeffrey's very significant point about whether one would actually want any individual Tubbs, this one will probably sell for over £4k on the hammer because of the usual "country auction hubris", and with a 31.5% total premium that gets you to about £5,500. A day's work to go to the sale and back, then a bit of restoration needed assuming there are no concealed issues. 

So more like twice the actual cost at retail ...

 

[PhilipKT]

41 minutes ago, martin swan said:

Aside from Jeffrey's very significant point about whether one would actually want any individual Tubbs, this one will probably sell for over £4k on the hammer because of the usual "country auction hubris", and with a 31.5% total premium that gets you to about £5,500. A day's work to go to the sale and back, then a bit of restoration needed assuming there are no concealed issues. 

So more like twice the actual cost at retail ...

 

Well, twice the auction cost is still a good days work.

@Jeffrey Holmes I knew about Tubbs’ Uneven work, but I thought that was later on, after the turn of the century. If I understand correctly(and I may not) I thought he was an alcoholic? And the joke was that he could start the day with a blank and a bottle and by the end of the day both would be finished?

What is the uneven quality instead a trait right through his entire career? So you have to check each individual stick regardless of when it was made?

[Rue]

...did someone paint that frog black?

[Shelbow]

19 minutes ago, Rue said:

...did someone paint that frog black?

Just look like Ebony no? The silver appointments are heavily tarnished which might make it look that way.

Or it was owned by a coal miner!

[martin swan]

46 minutes ago, PhilipKT said:

So you have to check each individual stick regardless of when it was made?

This is true of any bowmaker, but more than most with Tubbs.

A good day's work to buy it you say, but it might be a couple of years' work to sell it.

People who are outside the trade often imagine that buying something for half the retail price is somehow a triumph. Buying is easy, selling is hard.