Re: re: civil war harp

[Pat Missin <pat@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Rainbow Jimmy wrote:
>
>Here's some pictures
>http://www.civilwaroutpost.com/harmongut.jpg.JPG
>http://www.hotlinecy.com/CivilWar/HarmonicaHarpParts.JPG

Sadly, many of the items that are proudly displayed as "Civil War Ear
harmonicas" are not harmonicas and do not definitely date from the
Civil War period. The second image here is a good example. The upper
reedplate in this picture looks like the plate for the bass reeds of a
diatonic accordion, not a harmonica and the two single reeds under it
are obviously from a reed organ.

The lowest reedplate is from a Richter harmonica, but how do they know
it dates from the Civil War and was not simply dropped at the site by
a wandering musician fifty years later?

 -- Pat.