Have y'all e'er wondered how much it would toll to play a few notes on the world's near expensive flutes?

While the flute is considered the oldest blazon of woodwind instrument, dating to 900 BC, flutes as we know them today didn't make an appearance until 1847. Since that time, they've experienced many upgrades and improvements while keeping the classic style and function intact.

Today's flutes are known for creating some of the most beautiful tones in symphonic and orchestral music, just their ain unique sounds vary widely based on the materials used and the manner they're designed. Flutes made of precious metals, such as platinum and gilded, generally produce the clearest, richest tones. They are also some of the more expensive instruments you tin can purchase.

Enjoy our list of the 13 most expensive flutes in the globe:

1. William Kincaid'due south Verne Q. Powell Flute

most expensive flute in the world

Cost: $187,000

In 1986, this flute was sold at auction for $187,000. While this is far less than some of the world'southward most expensive instruments, such every bit Bill Wyman's 1969 Fender Mustang bass guitar , it is still the most expensive flute in the world. In fact, its sale price from 30-plus years agone is more than $100,000 to a higher place the virtually expensive flute on the market today. So what exactly makes it and then valuable?

For one thing, this flute is made of thin-walled platinum with sterling silver keys. Made in 1939, it was originally displayed at the New York Off-white, where information technology had to be guarded at all times.

Afterwards, professional flutist William Kincaid bought the flute. Kincaid had already made a name for himself, and over the adjacent 28 years, he used the flute during his career with the New York City Symphony Orchestra and the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra. He's considered by many to have been the patriarch of American flutists .

Subsequently Kincaid's death in 1967, the flute passed to one of his students, Elaine Shaffer, who built an illustrious career of her own with the Kansas City Combo, the Houston Symphony, and every bit a renowned soloist.

Almost two decades afterwards, the flute passed to writer and collector Stuart Pivar for the highest toll of any flute. It is at present on loan at NYC's Metropolitan Museum of Art.

2. Haynes Platinum Flute

most expensive flutes in the world, Brannen Brothers Platinum Flute

Price: $84,000

Some of the most expensive flutes in the world are found at the Flute Center of New York . This custom-made Haynes platinum flute is quite mayhap the most expensive flute currently bachelor for purchase.

Featured in this YouTube video , the flute boasts an incredibly clear and powerful tone similar to what you would hear in professional person performances or movie soundtracks. Information technology reaches a level of superiority that fifty-fifty most premium flutes could just dream of.

So what's so special about this flute? The platinum body is trimmed with 14K golden roller and lip, mechanism, tone holes, ribs, rings, and posts, as well as gold springs. The precious metals requite this flute some actress weight likewise every bit an extra value.

Though paying $84,000 for a flute is a huge investment, the Flute Middle of New York does what they can to make your buy a little safer. They offer free trials of all their instruments, complimentary shipping on orders over $400, seven-day return policy on any purchase, and a ane-year service warranty.

iii. Brannen Brothers Platinum Flute

Brannen Brothers Platinum Flute price

Price: $80,000

Some other offering through the Flute Center of New York, this platinum flute offers several different customization options. The platinum body is offset past the 14K riser and lip plate and comes with white golden springs. You can choose betwixt 14K gold and silver-tone holes, mechanism, rings, barrel, posts, and ribs.

Y'all can choose between four dissimilar styles of headjoint: the "epoch," the "modern cooper," the "modified cooper," and the "J.R. Lafin." You can as well cull betwixt B, C, and convertible B/C foot joints.

This Brannen Brothers flute comes with .012″ tubing, merely the gilt parts tin can requite it some extra weight. The flute is handmade in the USA.

iv. Verne Q. Powell Custom Handmade Gold and Platinum Flute

Photo: Flute Heart

Cost: $62,240

This platinum-and-gold flute comes with customizable headjoints, foot joints, G key options, and tuning pitches. Information technology also comes with various add together-ons for an extra cost: a split-Eastward mechanism, C# trill key, and D# roller. All that to say, this is one fancy flute. Y'all tin have it made nevertheless yous like.

The flute torso is made of .012″ platinum with 10K yellow-gold mechanism, tone holes, ribs, posts, and rings, and white golden springs.

The various headjoint options requite the thespian a multitude of tone styles to choose from. The Philharmonic cut offers a rich, crisp tone that's perfect for orchestral performances. The soloist cut is versatile plenty to handle soft passages or to make full the room with music. The Venti cutting is deep and resonant over a three-octave range. And the Lumina cut offers the greatest flexibility for a number of functioning types.

5. Nagahara Handmade Custom Gold Flute

Nagahara Handmade Custom Gold Flute price, most expensive flutes you can buy

Price: $59,020

Gilt flutes are awesome! This premium flute from Nagahara has a 20K body and headjoint with a 14K lip plate, riser, crown, mechanism, tone holes, ribs, posts, and rings. The solid gold flute definitely has some weight to information technology, simply it produces a crisp, resonant audio professional flutists love.

This flute model has lots of customizations and add together-ons so you tin can truly go far your ain. Some of these customizations include sub-model styles, lip plate variations, wear-less mechanism options, extended riser, and loftier E options.

This is a premier performance flute that would also make a slap-up collector's item.

6. Lunn Greenish Gold Flute

Lunn Green Gold Flute, expensive flutes, best flutes

Price: $55,000

This preowned light-green-gold flute , nicknamed "The Dryad'southward Bear upon," is a one-of-a-kind piece of work of fine art. The 18K green-gold trunk is intertwined with 14K leaves and vines that, bated from adding aesthetic uniqueness, also play a part in the machinery.

The keys come up with various designs and engravings of leaves, flowers, cobwebs, and even a turtle. The footjoint has a golden plate made to expect like sometime parchment, which has the flute'southward nickname and maker'due south name engraved on it.

The simply ane of its kind, this nature-inspired flute looks like something you lot might encounter the Elves playing in The Lord of the Rings.

vii. Lillian Burkart Aristocracy Model Flute

Lillian Burkart Elite Model Flute price

Price: $52,300

This flute is fabricated of 14K rose gold and comes with many of the customizable features included with more pricey options, such as multiple headjoint and footjoint options, separate E mechanism, C# trill, and D# roller.

In terms of quality and features, this flute competes with the best of this list and comes at a relatively smaller price tag. Not to mention, the rose gold offers a stunning contrast to the more common platinum and silverish flutes.

viii. Louis Lot Silver Flute

Louis Lot Silver Flute price

Toll: $forty,000

This original Louis Lot flute is made of loftier-quality silvery. It comes with ii separate headjoints, French-style open holes, and a low-B trill fundamental. The flute is pre-owned only is available through the Flute Center of New York.

Similar the Gibson Super Earl banjo , part of what makes this instrument so expensive is the name connected to information technology. Louis Lot was one of the get-go manufacturers of the modernistic-day flute. The silverish he used was purer than sterling silver and gave his flutes a richer advent. He also had a different method for making flutes that involved pounding a flat silver sheet effectually a mandrel, soldering the ends together, and cartoon the tube to the correct length and smoothness.

This flute is a relic from the past. Boasting a archetype design and appearance, it would make a swell collector'south item.

9. Altus 5407 Series Golden Handmade Flute

Altus 5407 Series Gold Handmade Flute cost

Price: $35,500

This line of professional handmade flutes is fabricated of 14K golden with sterling silver trim pieces and mechanism. It features SP-1 springs, French-manner keys, a gizmo fundamental, D# roller, and soldered tone holes.

Though it's not as widely customizable equally some of the other flutes on this list, it does come in several singled-out styles. With a dark, haunting tone, this flute holds its own across a range of professional uses. It is one of the best-quality flutes in its price range.

10. Yamaha Professional Rose Aureate Flute

Yamaha Professional Rose Gold Flute price

Price: $34,639

This rose-gilded Yamaha flute is made of 14K aureate and features French keys, an kickoff G-key, double-D roller, split-E mechanism, and a B footjoint with included C# and D# rollers.

Though still far beyond what well-nigh of u.s. could ever hope to afford, this is another premium professional instrument. The silverish trim pieces contrast nicely with the rose-gold to create a cute two-tone masterpiece. The brilliant audio is resonant plenty to dazzle a concert hall full of listeners.

11. Muramatsu Aureate Flute

The 13 Most Expensive Flutes In The World

Price: $31,399

Muramatsu is known for producing some of the globe's most expensive flutes, and this silver-trimmed gold instrument is one of their meridian offerings. Featuring a unique, Tsubasa-style headjoint, this hand-cutting flute is fabricated of 14K aureate with sterling silver trim.

This handmade Japanese flute doesn't accept a lot of customization options, but it comes with all the standard features and so some. It is all-around cute both in sound and appearance and is nonetheless some other superb selection for professional flutists.

12. Sankyo Handmade Gilt Flute

Sankyo Handmade Gold Flute price

Toll: $30,950

This Sankyo flute is a customizable instrument at a far less-expensive cost tag than some of the premium American-made flutes listed above. Buyers can choose between three headjoint styles: the popular RT cut, the versatile ST cutting, and the consistent FT cut. The 14K golden body and headjoint contrast nicely with the sterling silver mechanism and trim.

13. Miyazawa Handmade Gold Flute

Miyazawa Handmade Gold Flute cost

Price: $30,595

This is another customizable Japanese flute very similar to the Sankyo flute above. It comes with five different headjoint options, three traditional styles, and ii gimmicky styles, which let for a diverseness of sounds and tonal variance. Its trunk and headjoint are 14K golden with sterling silver machinery and trim. Customizable features include the G fundamental pick, 14K or platinum lip plates, Yard disc, split-E mechanism, C# trill key, and C# and D# rollers.

Final Thoughts

Of course, near of us tin only wish and dream equally we expect through this list of premium flutes. Some of us may have the occasional pleasure of hearing such an instrument in a concert hall or a movie soundtrack. And it truly is a pleasure. Precious metals like gold, argent, and platinum make for exceptionally expensive flutes, simply they also produce exceptionally rich tones.

Whether handmade, custom-built, or completely one-of-a-kind, the flutes on this list are the foam of the instrumental crop. While some may become to collectors or museums, each ane of these flutes can be expected to produce resonant tones that will have your breath away.