Hi all--I just posted this message with some pics on Facebook. For those of you who don't have Facebook, here's the message--any help would be appreciated. Sorry I can't post any pics here!
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Calling all vintage Conn experts! I recently acquired a 1928 Conn 2H trombone (serial 2568xx-I covered the last two digits in the photos on purpose). It's in remarkable shape, except for a badly-dented "U" at the bottom of the hand slide (which I intend to have repaired).
I already have a beautiful nickel-silver 2H, but this one caught my eye because it appears to be entirely GOLD-plated (not simply raw brass). There are several things that lean toward this conclusion--first, the horn isn't tarnished at all, except for a little dust/dirt. Second, all of the accessories (marching band lyre, lyre rod, and cleaning rod) are also gold-plated--heck, even the Conn name plate on the case is gold-plated! And third, I've never seen a bell engraving like this--I have several vintage Conn trombones from this era, and this one seems to be unique--I don't think it's a custom "one-off" engraving, but it looks like a "deluxe" engraving that was exclusive to the horns with the highest-quality finishes. It is also worth noting that the majority of the bell has a "frosted" finish, similar to the "satin silver" finishes found on the nickel-silver horns from the era--but I've never seen "satin gold" before.
But the thing that is a mystery to me is the letter "T" stamped on the hand slide next to the model and serial number. I've included a shot of it in the attached photos. I have a 1917 Conn 6H with a "B" stamped there (which, according to the Conn Loyalist website, meant the horn was made of "French brass," which was an experimental alloy during that time). I've also seen a star/asterisk stamped there for custom options (i.e. lightweight slides and other non-standard requests), but I've never seen a "T" and I cannot find any info on this marking anywhere. It is also worth noting there is another set of stamps on each side of the tuning slide--what appears to be a "3Z"--I've seen numbers there before (they are likely factory reference numbers used to keep parts together while the horn was assembled), but I've never seen a number with a "Z" before.
So--does anyone know what that "T" might stand for? Or the "3Z" for that matter? Any info would be very helpful--thanks folks!
Gold-plated Conn 2H with "T" stamp near serial number
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Gold-plated Conn 2H with "T" stamp near serial number
Hi all--I just posted this message with some pics on Facebook. For those of you who don't have Facebook, here's the message--any help would be appreciated. Sorry I can't post any pics here!
---------------
Calling all vintage Conn experts! I recently acquired a 1928 Conn 2H trombone (serial 2568xx-I covered the last two digits in the photos on purpose). It's in remarkable shape, except for a badly-dented "U" at the bottom of the hand slide (which I intend to have repaired).
I already have a beautiful nickel-silver 2H, but this one caught my eye because it appears to be entirely GOLD-plated (not simply raw brass). There are several things that lean toward this conclusion--first, the horn isn't tarnished at all, except for a little dust/dirt. Second, all of the accessories (marching band lyre, lyre rod, and cleaning rod) are also gold-plated--heck, even the Conn name plate on the case is gold-plated! And third, I've never seen a bell engraving like this--I have several vintage Conn trombones from this era, and this one seems to be unique--I don't think it's a custom "one-off" engraving, but it looks like a "deluxe" engraving that was exclusive to the horns with the highest-quality finishes. It is also worth noting that the majority of the bell has a "frosted" finish, similar to the "satin silver" finishes found on the nickel-silver horns from the era--but I've never seen "satin gold" before.
But the thing that is a mystery to me is the letter "T" stamped on the hand slide next to the model and serial number. I've included a shot of it in the attached photos. I have a 1917 Conn 6H with a "B" stamped there (which, according to the Conn Loyalist website, meant the horn was made of "French brass," which was an experimental alloy during that time). I've also seen a star/asterisk stamped there for custom options (i.e. lightweight slides and other non-standard requests), but I've never seen a "T" and I cannot find any info on this marking anywhere. It is also worth noting there is another set of stamps on each side of the tuning slide--what appears to be a "3Z"--I've seen numbers there before (they are likely factory reference numbers used to keep parts together while the horn was assembled), but I've never seen a number with a "Z" before.
So--does anyone know what that "T" might stand for? Or the "3Z" for that matter? Any info would be very helpful--thanks folks!
---------------
Calling all vintage Conn experts! I recently acquired a 1928 Conn 2H trombone (serial 2568xx-I covered the last two digits in the photos on purpose). It's in remarkable shape, except for a badly-dented "U" at the bottom of the hand slide (which I intend to have repaired).
I already have a beautiful nickel-silver 2H, but this one caught my eye because it appears to be entirely GOLD-plated (not simply raw brass). There are several things that lean toward this conclusion--first, the horn isn't tarnished at all, except for a little dust/dirt. Second, all of the accessories (marching band lyre, lyre rod, and cleaning rod) are also gold-plated--heck, even the Conn name plate on the case is gold-plated! And third, I've never seen a bell engraving like this--I have several vintage Conn trombones from this era, and this one seems to be unique--I don't think it's a custom "one-off" engraving, but it looks like a "deluxe" engraving that was exclusive to the horns with the highest-quality finishes. It is also worth noting that the majority of the bell has a "frosted" finish, similar to the "satin silver" finishes found on the nickel-silver horns from the era--but I've never seen "satin gold" before.
But the thing that is a mystery to me is the letter "T" stamped on the hand slide next to the model and serial number. I've included a shot of it in the attached photos. I have a 1917 Conn 6H with a "B" stamped there (which, according to the Conn Loyalist website, meant the horn was made of "French brass," which was an experimental alloy during that time). I've also seen a star/asterisk stamped there for custom options (i.e. lightweight slides and other non-standard requests), but I've never seen a "T" and I cannot find any info on this marking anywhere. It is also worth noting there is another set of stamps on each side of the tuning slide--what appears to be a "3Z"--I've seen numbers there before (they are likely factory reference numbers used to keep parts together while the horn was assembled), but I've never seen a number with a "Z" before.
So--does anyone know what that "T" might stand for? Or the "3Z" for that matter? Any info would be very helpful--thanks folks!