Expert: Kenton Scott - 7/27/2009

Question
I found what appears to be a Frank Holton trumpet mouthpiece on the beach at my uncle' cabin.  There is actually an interesting story behind it too.  Next to my uncle's cabin is a cabin which used to belong to a group of Chicago mobsters.  They apparently used to hire jazz bands to play for them while they gambled.  This leads me to believe it belonged to one of the band members, and also dating back to the 1920s or 30s.  Could you verify for me what a possible date of the mouthpiece was made?  All i could find on it was "Frank Holton" and "Elkhorn, Wisc."  Below this is also an O, L, S, in sort of a triangular form.  With the O and L on top and the S below the two between.  It would be much appreciated if you could help me out, thanks much!

Answer
Well, maybe you want to keep digging to find the rest of the horn! <g>

That is a compelling idea, but there are so many possibilities that could interfere with it.  Probably most serious players end up playing a mouthpiece that does not come with the horn.  It is possible someone got a new horn, and immediately threw away the one that came with it.  On the other hand, it could be that a guy had been playing on an old Holton, and then got one he liked better and threw the old one away.  

So, even if one could determine the age of a mouthpiece - and that would be difficult in itself - it really wouldn't give you any idea of when it might have arrived at your location.