So two friends of mine hiking in the woods in a remote area find a box, set aside from the rubble of some burned down out buildings...
So two friends of mine hiking in the woods in a remote area find a box, set aside from the rubble of some burned down out buildings...
Though this may have nothing to do with the contents, an inspection of the label on the old trunk reveals: <yes, that Dopera>
Last edited by JeffD; May-23-2016 at 10:15am.
Okay. You got me in suspenders.
Bobby Bill
So of course we looked inside. Woo hoo!!
With all appropriate permissions the box and contents are in good hands with someone who knows what is there and what can be done with it.
Amazing, and most cool! Is that Rudy Dopyera I see?
Refreshing to see treasures still appearing!
Timothy F. Lewis
"If brains was lard, that boy couldn't grease a very big skillet" J.D. Clampett
Holy cow.
"It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
--M. Stillion
"Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
--J. Garber
Holy Moly!!!
Fun stuff!
You need to play the lotto now. Great story.
Looks like laminated sides.
The label says it is from a shipment of three trunks. From one Dopera to another Dopera.
Enough years have gone by that the trunk could well have been long emptied of its original contents and used for storage. It wasn't locked or fastened down or anything. The lid was just closed.
It was probably destined to be firewood along with the rest of that pile.
"It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
--M. Stillion
"Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
--J. Garber
Lucky find.
Jamie
There are two things to aim at in life: first, to get what you want; and, after that, to enjoy it. Only the wisest of mankind achieve the second. Logan Pearsall Smith, 1865 - 1946
+ Give Blood, Save a Life +
I think Gruhn was handling the Dopera estate. Making this public, it does beg the question do the finders have the rights to the booty?
f-d
ˇpapá gordo ain’t no madre flaca!
'20 A3, '30 L-1, '97 914, 2012 Cohen A5, 2012 Muth A5, '14 OM28A
Elderly handled the Dopyera estate sale. The thread is here.
"It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
--M. Stillion
"Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
--J. Garber
Confirmed that the present owners of the land and property, from whom permission was obtained to take the trunk, had bought the land and property and its contents, so there is a documentable trail of ownership. And in addition, it is confirmed that years back the family, descendants of the brothers, had gone all through everything that has now ended up on the property and taken anything of value they wanted.
But thank you, it was worth checking.
And FYI, nothing else was found except some burned mahogany. No other trunks or caches of instrument parts or wood or papers or even a board fastened to another board. No secret stash of resonator accordions or anything.
So cool. All of it is so cool.
I ask this out of ignorance, but is it common up there for people to trespass on private property when hiking? Or is it even considered trespassing? Down here in Texas, pretty much all land is privately owned and trespassing is a big no-no. The idea of strangers poking around and going through the contents of things they find would make most Texans want to load their shotguns. But are rural areas up north considered fair game for hikers despite being privately owned?
Anyway, that's a cool find. I'm surprised at the condition of the contents, if indeed that trunk has been sitting outside for any length of time. Those things aren't exactly weatherproof. I would have expected mildew or mold, water damage, bugs, or some kind of weathering/aging. But the contents look surprisingly fresh. Curious.
We were hiking on private property, with appropriate permissions. There is no easy way to get to this particular tract accidentally from a public trail or park anything.
Apparently there had been a fire in one of the last abandoned out building or barn or whatever it was. And the trunk was pulled out of what was left of the barn. There is nothing left of the barn now. The trunk miraculously survived unscathed.
It had spent untold years in that barn protected from the elements. You are right, if left too long where my friends found it, things would go south more quickly.
I was entirely ignorant of any connection between this chunk of land and anything musical or mandolinny, and the find came out of the blue as a total surprise. Since then I have poked a bit and the story is kind of interesting, and makes the find a little less miraculous. But only a little.
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