[Harp-L] Sonny Terry Estate Harmonicas and other memorobilia

[Tom Halchak]

Many of you know that I have been acting as an Authorized Agent for the
Sonny Terry Estate LLC for several years.  In fact, it has been ten
years.  Hard
for me to believe.  It takes a lot of time to photograph everything, write
descriptions, create listings on either my website or more recently, eBay.  It
has never been a full-time endeavor for me and my strategy for marketing
the estate items has always been to not flood the market with too many
items at once.   That has helped me with the workflow also helped keep
demand steady.  With that being said, we are near the end of what we have
to offer.  I just finished listing about 60 of Sonny’s personal harps on
eBay at reduced prices.  That may seem like a lot, but that’s all there is
left. When they are gone, they are gone.  So, if you have ever considered
adding a Sonny Terry Estate Harmonica to your collection, now is the time
to do it.   I have also listed the last of Sonny’s Walking Sticks that I
have and not one, but two of the famous colorful pocketed shirts that Sonny
wore on stage.  There is no shortage of photos, album covers, etc. of Sonny
wearing these shirts.  Perhaps once of the best videos of Sonny and Brownie
is the famous BBC Concert in 1974.  Sonny is wearing one of these shirts in
that performance.



All of the listings can be found here:

https://www.ebay.com/str/bluemoonharmonicasllc



If you are in the market for an estate harmonica, here’s a little
information that you might find useful, and perhaps interesting.



This entire project would not have happened if not for Adam Gussow.  Back
in 2015, Delores Boyd, who is Sonny’s niece by marriage and is currently
the Managing General Partner of Sonny Terry Estate LLC, commissioned Adam
to appraise Sonny’s collection of harmonicas.  Adam, as we all know, is an
accomplished player and in his mind, the value of the estate harmonicas
would be dictated on how well they played.  He didn’t really take into
account the historical nature of the harmonicas.  It might be the only time
in history that a legendary blues harmonica player ever left a cache of
harmonicas behind to be evaluated.  This was uncharted territory.  Adam
painstakingly played each harmonica and wrote Post-It Notes on all of
them.  While doing so, he posted a short video of his adventure, which I
happened to see.  Here it is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDT4Xt70Omg


After seeing that video, I emailed Adam and offered my services, which led
to an introduction to Delores.  Ironically, Adam felt I could be a good fit
for the estate because I have developed a reputation for being skilled at
restoring vintage harmonicas.  However, after consulting with Delores, we
decided that the harmonicas would be more appealing to Sonny’s fans if they
were left as is, so that is what we have done.  All the estate harmonicas
that I have offered over the last ten years are exactly as they were when
Sonny last played them.



I have been playing the harmonica for more than 50 years and some of
personal harps, I have had for decades.  But I will tell you, none of the
harmonicas that I own show nearly as much wear and tear as the majority of
the estate harps do.  Sonny Terry literally played his harps to death.
Normally, if we are considering the purchase of a “used” item, we are
likely to look for things that have a minimum amount of wear and tear.  Our
preference would be to find something that is “like new”.  The reasons are
obvious.  The less the item was used by the previous owner, the more likely
that it will work well and last a long time when we acquire it.  However,
regarding a collectible harmonica from Sonny Terry, what makes it valuable
or desirable to own is the fact that it was owned and played by Sonny
himself.  Imagine listening to a Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee recording
and holding the very instrument that he played on that recording in your
hands.  We have no way of knowing which exact harmonica Sonny played on a
specific recording (other than being able to figure out the key), but the
thought alone is intriguing.



So, here’s a quick buyer’s guide to what to look for on the estate harps:

*Tarnished covers.*  Most of Sonny’s harps show visible signs of tarnish or
discoloration of the covers.  The tarnishing is a result of a chemical
reaction to his hands, lips and tongue.  Very few of the harps are actually
“rusty”, but the wear is obvious.  And remember, Sonny played the harmonica
“upside down” so the tarnish might be a little different from perhaps one
of your favorite old harps.

*Bent or crushed covers*.  Sonny obviously had very strong hands.  On many
of the harmonicas the covers slightly deformed and on some, they are
practically crushed.  On my personal harps, I have experienced this issue
and have taken to installing cover braces to prevent this.  This is pretty
common wear and tear.

*Worn combs.*  Many of the harmonicas show a fair amount of wear and tear
on the combs.  You will see the scratches and dings and dents that come
from normal use.  Sonny loved the Golden Melody, which has a red plastic
comb.  On most of the Golden Melodys that Sonny played extensively the back
of the comb on the bass end of the harmonica is scratched up from rubbing
up against the mesh covering on the microphones.

*Dried spit in the combs.*  Many of the harps have remnants of dried-up
spit inside the combs.  This is common issue that all harmonica players
deal with.  Sonny was no different.  I have made zero effort to clean any
of the estate harmonicas.  I am presenting them to you in exactly the state
that they were entrusted to me.  I can certainly appreciate how some would
be disgusted by the thought of having 50-year-old dried-up mouth juices in
a harmonica from a guy who has been dead for 40 years.  To others, that
might be part of the charm and might make a harp more desirable to own.  To
each his own.


In the 10+ years that I have been handling sales of the estate harmonicas,
I have had numerous conversations with Sonny Terry fans.  The harmonicas
will be shipped to you in an attractive shadowbox display case with a
hinged opening.  There is a brief bio of Sonny and a photo in the
background and the harmonica is held in place by a couple of magnets.  This
makes it very easy for you to remove it from the case for whatever
purpose.  It might be just to hold it.  It might be to show it to your
friends.  And it might be so you can play it.  This is a very personal
decision.  Some people have no plans to play it.  Some might play it a
little just to make a connection with Sonny.  I have had a few customers
who wanted harps that they could play.  The conditions of the harmonicas in
Sonny’s collection vary.  Some show extensive signs of use.  Some, not so
much.  And some show almost no signs of use and look practically new. One
can only surmise that Sonny only had those harmonicas for a short time
toward the end of his career and played them very little.   In my
descriptions on the eBay listings, I have offered accurate information so
that you can make informed decisions.  If you happen to be one of those
people who would like to own a Sonny Terry harmonica that you can play,
there are some good choices, and I have specifically stated as such in the
listings.  In my opinion, the harps that show minimal signs of use would be
more sanitary and in better condition, making them more suitable for actual
playing.



In closing, I would like to add a personal note.  My involvement with Sonny
Terry Estate LLC has been a very rewarding experience.  Sonny Terry was a
remarkable man who had an incredible career and had an impact on countless
people.  In the course of the past ten years, I have heard some great
stories and have helped number Sonny Terry fans relive their precious
memories of having met Sonny or seen him perform.  To enable them to own a
piece of history has been a privilege.  Best of all, I have the high honor
of meeting and developing a warm friendship with Delores Boyd, Managing
Partner of the Estate.  She has been an absolute pleasure to work with and
I love her dearly.  Thank you for the opportunity Delores.



I know this is a lot of information to digest.  Please feel free to contact
me if you have any questions.  There is some additional information on my
website at: www.SonnyTerry.net.



Tom Halchak

Blue Moon Harmonicas LLC


-- 
*Tom Halchak*
*Blue Moon Harmonicas LLC*
*P.O. Box 14401 Clearwater, FL 33766*

*www.BlueMoonHarmonicas.com <http://www.BlueMoonHarmonicas.com>**(727)
366-2608*