I found my first harp on ebay, and it only cost me about 300 $. It was a 22 string lever harp. A small harp is good for learning the basics, and then you can save up for a bigger harp.
Pippin~You’re never too old to enjoy a challenge. I attended a harp conference recently and there were several women there in their 80s who had only been playing for about 2 years. They played better than I did and
I’m 64 years old and although I have played piano since I was a child and took a few harp lessons in my early 50’s, I am now doing serious study in Celtic music with a wonderful teacher.