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1969 7/8 Cello -- American luthier Clyde Corrello - $3,200 (Brooklyn)
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https://aadl.org/sites/default/files/photos/N070_0742_002.jpg
Picture from newspaper and reads: "Clyde Corrello 'tunes' a cello, February 1965. Clyde Corrello, Ann Arbor violin maker, 'tunes' a cello back by thumping it and listening. He claims his educated ear is more accurate than scientific sound measuring devices."
Extremely rare 7/8 cello by American luthier Clyde Corrello (born 1895). It was in storage for 25 years so it's just back from the luthier and all seams sealed and completely ready to play. It's a gorgeous work, beautiful flamed-maple back and spruce top. If you collect or have an interest in American celli, here is a great and rare piece. Or if you need a slightly smaller 7/8 cello. The back is 29" and standard 4/4 celli are 30" -- so the body is an inch shorter than 4/4. (The body of a 3/4 cello is generally 27.25" so this is quite close to a 4/4 cello) Corrello has a striking resemblance to Spencer Tracy! He made this 7/8 cello one year before his death. This reads cello #17 but I don't know if this was his 17th cello (unlikely) or more likely his 17th instrument made -- as he also made violins. And because this is the last cello he made, most likely his many years of artistry went into this piece - as luthiers know that any piece they make might be their last.
Here is a bit on Corrello, who was born in 1895, from his obit: "Clyde L. Corrello, 74, musician, mechanical engineer and one of the nation's few professional violin makers, died Wednesday at Huron View Convalescent Home after a lingering illness. He had been a resident of Ann Arbor for 26 years. Mr. Corrello made violins, violas and cellos for some of the country's leading musicians for many years at his instrument making shop at 4320 Washtenaw Rd. He also had played the violin and cello with a number of small and large orchestras, including the Toledo Orchestra and the Ann Arbor Symphony. He was one of a handful of American violin makers whose creations brought prices of $1,000 and up. Mr. Corrello was born Nov. 14, 1895, in Dayton, Ohio, a son of Claude M., also a violinist, and Margaret N. McDowell Corrello. He graduated from Northeastern University in Boston with a mechanical engineering degree. A veteran of World War I, he served in the U. S. Army in France. He was a member of the First United Presbyterian Church of Ypsilanti. Mr. Corrello carne to Ann Arbor in 1944 and studied with private teachers and with composer Hanns Pick at the University of Michigan. Pursuing his craft of making instruments, he used his collection of rare instruments, including a 250-year-old Austrian cello and another made in Vienna in 1690 by Seraphim, in his work in order to maintain high standards. He and Ester Huston were married on June 30, 1920, in Toledo."
While American celli were being made in the early-2000s, and some before that, there are very few made by American luthiers in the '50s-'60s; before that, WWII and its aftermath consumed the resources of American men. Here is a piece of American history and a very fine cello as well. Also, this has an original Thomas Smith bridge, extremely rare English luthier and bridge-maker: https://archive.violinbridges.co.uk/1019-thomas-smith-cello/
https://aadl.org/node/83685
https://aadl.org/N070_0742_002
Here is some rare, old music by composer Hanns Pick, whom Mr. Corrello studied with at the U of M:
https://app.idagio.com/profiles/hanns-pick/albums
https://www.discogs.com/artist/2678225-Hanns-Pick