Saxophone Forum


by freshpuppy
(12 posts)
18 years ago

Info about approx age of continental colonial sax?

I have what appears to be a very old alto sax....it is a Continental Colonial and therefore I guess it is a stencil sax. It has mother of pearl on it...a stencil of a colonial guy on the bell...it has a very old leather case with red velvet inside.....I guess this model was a stencil made via the Conn company through the "Continental Music Company" in Indiana? I really just want to know how old it is....I have the serial # but as it was not made directly at the Conn factory, do not know what to do with the serial #. I am very much a novice about these things, so any help would be much appreciated.

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  1. by freshpuppy
    (12 posts)

    18 years ago

    Re: Info about approx age of continental colonial sax?

    BTW....the serial # is: 154153 ....if that helps at all.

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    1. by freshpuppy
      (12 posts)

      18 years ago

      Re: Info about approx age of continental colonial sax?

      I found this info too....not sure what it all means exactly? During the 1920's Conn owned the Elkhart Band Instrument Company (1923-7), the Leedy Company (1927-55), a manufacturer of percussion, 49.9% of the stock of H. & A. Selmer (1923-7), and two subsidiaries, the Continental Music Company and the Pan American Music Company. Despite the stock market crash of 1929, Conn purchased several companies (1929-30) including Ludwig and Ludwig, a maker of percussion, and Carl Fischer and Soprani, makers of accordions. From 1940 to 1950 they owned the Haddorff Piano Company, and from 1941-2 the Straube Piano Company Should I take this to mean that my saxophone was bulilt sometime between 1923-1927???????

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      1. by definition
        (963 posts)

        18 years ago

        Re: Info about approx age of continental colonial sax?

        Conn Stencils are based on the same Conn horns, are very similar. Try looking at the Conn horns on www.saxpics.com and see if you find one similar to your horn It would be made about the same time as those mostly identical looking Conn horns

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        1. by STEVE GOODSON
          (291 posts)

          18 years ago

          Re: Info about approx age of continental colonial sax?

          I would respectfully disagree that the stencil horns are very similar. That's sometimes the case, but usually not. During the 20's and 30's, there was a great deal of "parts swapping" among the various manufacturers. The president of Conn and the president of Buescher were brothers! Companies often had parts outsourced. Like today, the manufacturers would engrave just about any label you wanted on an "off the shelf" horn or one made to your specification or one built by the lowest bidder. Old parts stock was often used on the stencil horns. I've bought up old unused parts over the years, and know that the various factories often had lots of this stuff to sell to one another. The bottom line is that it's often impossible to determine the age of a stencil. A horn that looks like a 20's Conn may have actually been sold in the late 30's using old parts.

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        2. by freshpuppy
          (12 posts)

          18 years ago

          Re: Info about approx age of continental colonial sax?

          Thanks! I'm going to look at that right now. So far...I have found plenty of continental colonial coronets, clarinets, etc on the net....but NO continental colonial saxophones....anywhere! That makes me think they weren't manufactured very long? I also read that the serial #'s for Pan Americans do not match the #'s for Conn, but that Continental Colonials DO....does anyone know if that is true? If so...my horn was made between 1925-1926....I guess? Thanks again for the link!

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        3. by freshpuppy
          (12 posts)

          18 years ago

          Re: Info about approx age of continental colonial sax?

          Oh...thanks Steve...didn't see your reply there till I posted. Well...the guy who sold it (it was a gift) said he thought it was made in the 40's....which doesn't make sense because they weren't making any instruments during WWII, but...I guess it could have been made later. It is a lovely horn...it would be great to pin it down.

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        4. by freshpuppy
          (12 posts)

          18 years ago

          Re: Info about approx age of continental colonial sax?

          Another thing...all the coronets, trombones...etc...have the exact same colonial guy on them as mine does. A profile of a guy in a hat with "Continental Colonial USA" underneath. I guess Conn started gearing toward the school band market about 1923...so maybe it was some kind of school band quality instrument at the time. The more I learn, the less I know!

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