Expert: Kenton Scott - 5/30/2009

Question
QUESTION: I have recently acquired a coronet and have no idea when it was made or even what type it is.  It is stamped on the 2nd key 11s197 horizontal and the bell is stamped Grand Rapids made in U.S.A. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

ANSWER: Grand Rapids is the name of the company, it is the sister company of the York Company of Grand Rapids, MI.  Unfortunately, no record of serial numbers is known to exist.


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QUESTION: Any idea as to the time frame this may have been made?

Answer
I assume that the serial number is really 115197, but that really doesn't tell us much, other than how it relates to other Grand Rapids instruments.  

However, Grand Rapids and York used instruments of the same design, so if you look through York cornet listings and happen to find an instrument of the same design, you may be able to get an estimate of its age.  

Here some York cornets:  http://www.horn-u-copia.net/display.php?secondsel=+and+instrument%3D%22Cornet%22

And, here are York serial nubmers:  http://www.horn-u-copia.net/Yorklist.html