I recently bought this flute, made by Edward Riley in New York, sometime around 1820. I bought it from Patrick Olwell, who told me that its previous owner told him it had sat in a tool box for about 70 years! The astonishing thing is that it did not have a crack on it anywhere--not even on the head joint along the embouchure hole. My sense is that it is pretty rare to see a crack-free boxwood flute with a lined head joint, especially one of this vintage. The flute was missing the long F key and block, which John Gallagher replaced for me on Patrick's recommendation. He did a phenomenal repair job: cast a new long F key and matched the color of the boxwood perfectly with the replacement block. You would really have to be looking for it to see that there had been a repair.
I was also wondering if anyone might be able to tell me anything about this flute, which appears to be somewhat rare among extant Riley flutes. There are two Riley flutes in the Dayton Miller collection, both of which are one-keyed traverso-style flutes. I have not seen another eight-keyed Riley flute. One person suggested that this particular flute might have been made by either Firth or Hall, both of whom apprenticed in Riley's shop around this time. The flute also plays beautifully and at modern pitch.
Thanks for your help.
Paul
