Missing flutes

Just to alert everyone to look out. Here are the details:

Two wooden flutes (each with a wooden case) belonging to Elma McElligott (flute player with The London Lasses) were stolen from her car just off the Hornsey High Street (London N8) this afternoon (Tues 20th Nov 2012) – one is a ‘D’ flute made by ‘Wylde’ (student of Rudal & Rose), there’s a very thin crack on the second piece of the flute and the low C key is missing on the bottom piece, please see pic below. And the other is a relatively new keyless C flute made by Eamon Cotter.

Please, please, please can you share this information and help spread the word in any way you can to help locate the flutes if someone attempts to sell them on. Any information gratefully received at email: k.ryan@virgin.net or phone: 07906155188

THANKS ALL -- # Posted on November 21st 2012 by SueWhistle164

http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/30898

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Hi - just to add -

The Wylde flute is very distinctive because it has wide decorated silver bands, and a solid silver crown. I have seen it at sessions and it sticks out a mile. It might stay around London so we'll be on the lookout here. The last stolen one did (though it went up on Ebay too). It was located and returned.

John MacLeod

A Wylde with thick rings, this things are rare:

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Antique 6 key French flute for sale: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=102436

youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/LorenzoFlute

if that's the one in the photo, then the upturned touch to the LongF is even more distinctive.

Is there a sort of MO for these guys? I assume the thief is not going to play the instrument so the goal is to sell it. So where would they go? Pawnshops? To mainland europe? I wonder if the thief would have the patience to wait a few months before trying to sell them.

there's no MO, unattended bag in a parked car, snatch and check the contents later.

Like David says, if it's stamped Wylde then the long F touch is very distinctive. The G# doesn't look as elongated a tear shape as It might be, the thick ferruls plus the thickened barrel, missing C# plug, silver cap, very unusual.

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Mark

Sorry, i meant where would they sell them. These are specialty items, not like a set of rims.

I think it depends on who was the guy(s) who stole it. If they are not specially after good irish flutes - which is unlikely, they would just try to sell it for minimal sum to have a dope, booz and whatever. Or really to go to a pawn shop.
One of my former bandmates once (10 ys ago) was busking in a street (on a Seery flute) when a couple of obvious drunkards appeared with a case and offered him to buy a flute they had. It turned to be a good student Yamaha Boehm flute for about $1000 (this became clear later). He bought it for as much as about $20 (this is what these drunks wanted). Though it was a really good flute but my friend had no reasons to keep it being a traditional musician, so he printed ads to find the original owner and stuck them in local conservatory and nearby music colleges. Soon a woman called and said it was her 10 ys old child's instrument and that it must be immidiately returned back. My friend wanted his $20 back but on hearing that that woman cried that he'd rather have some troubles -police and so on, that she really knew that it was him who had stolen the flute. So he returned the flute but suffered morally. This happened in the west of Ukraine.

Another case was in Moscow a couple of years ago. A good irish button accordion and a bunch (4 or 5) of Goldie low whistles were stolen from russia's leading scottish/irish musician. I believe it was a chance theft as I can't imagine who else here needs these instruments but a handful of addicts that all know each other. There are very few ways to sell them for good money here as well (otherwise someone would notice), so i think the instruments were sold for nothing in a pawn shop.

Thanks Viking of Kiev, I wonder where i would start looking if this happened to me (actually, it did but on the other side of the country and while the instrument was in someone else's charge and i didn't find out until much later ).

I found this inspiring article. It seems like a lot of immediate, intense networking helps the most.

http://articles.dailypress.com/2004-12-12/news/0412120002_1_viola-theft-music-store

The following message was received by me yesterday. I would think that these instruments would appear for sale in the U.K.

Flutes Missing
Two wooden flutes (each with a wooden case) belonging to Elma McElligott (flute player with The London Lasses) were stolen from her car just off the Hornsey High Street (London N8) this afternoon (Tues 20th Nov 2012) – one is a ‘D’ flute made by ‘Wylde’ (student of Rudal & Rose), there’s a very thin crack on the second piece of the flute and the low C key is missing on the bottom piece, please see pic attached. And the other is a relatively new keyless C flute made by Eamon Cotter.
Please, please, please can you share this information and help spread the word in any way you can to help locate the flutes if someone attempts to sell them on. Any information gratefully received at email: k.ryan@virgin.net or phone: 07906155188
Thank you
Karen
Marick Baxter
67 Kelston view
Bath BA2 1NP
07881646633


Many thanks to all at C & F

Flutes found, some justice in the world

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Mark

Excellent. Thanks for letting us know.

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Joel Barish: Is there any risk of brain damage?
Dr. Mierzwiak: Well, technically speaking, the procedure is brain damage.