Boosey & Hawkes Info?

[Jagger99]

Hey team,

Got sent a couple of photos of an antique B&H, can't find heaps of info of quality/materials/bell sizes/uses.
It's advertised as an old Royal Australian Navy trombone, "imperial/special" engraved on the bell with "4040" below it and comes with the (I think) nice looking semiquaver on top of the globe counterweight.

Not sure if it's worth anything as a player or a collector item but still super curious on the history of the horn

Serial numbers LR240xxx and 14931 date it to 1957 if I'm correct?

Thanks in advance!!

Jagger

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[stewbones43]

It is difficult to see any details from the photographs you have but from the information you have provided I would suggest that this trombone was made in 1957, serial number 240***. The preceding letters should be LP not LR-LP for Low Pitch, the standard international pitch A=440. At that time B&H also made brass instruments in High Pitch-HP- as brass bands were continuing to use this older pitch standard; it was about a third of a tone higher. The "Imperial" models were their top professional models at that time and the semiquaver and globe was a B&H trademark, used as a counter weight on trombones and a smaller version used as a main tuning slide stay decoration on the "Imperial" trumpets. I think that 4040 was the code for the standard B&H tenor trombone size, i.e. bore = 0.487in diameter and bell 7 to 7.75in diameter. The "special" engraving on the bell and the number 14931 are a mystery.
The value is dependent on condition, especially of the main hand slide; it is not easy to obtain replacements if the tubes are badly worn or damaged. The dimensions already mentioned are small by current standards and generally indicate a jazz trombone these days but the heavy, strong construction of this trombone make it suitable for use in a marching band or for a beginner to learn on.

Hope this has helped

Cheers

Stewbones43