Expert: Kenton Scott - 11/30/2011

Question
QUESTION: I just bought a Conn Director Trombone Serial number 18H 314376. I just want to know what year it was manufactured. The conn serial numbers say around 1936 but the Director model didn't come out until 1954.  So I am confused and curious. Is there a list of years that repeated serial numbers to look up?

ANSWER: Just to confirm, I'm assuming you are talking about the 18H with the Coprion bell.  

You can look more closely at my serial number list at http://www.horn-u-copia.net/serial/Connlist.html, but I agree that a horn with that number doesn't seem to fit.

My suspicion is that it fits in the 1980-6 period where the list is pretty tentative.



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: That doesn't make sense either because it is a Director model which all info says they discontinued in 1970's..That serial number is very plain on my trombone. So I am still curious as to the year this is made

Answer
Good point, that hadn't occurred to me.  

So, the next possibility that occurs to me is that your horn is a merger of parts from a couple of different horns.  I remember recently seeing an eBay ad where a person had merged an 18H, a 14H, and a 77H.