Expert: Kenton Scott - 2/19/2006

Question
Hello,
I recently acquired an old "pea shooter" type trumpet but can find very little information about it on the internet.  It is a silver colored horn with gold coloring on the inside of the bell.  It has quite a bit of decorative work on the bell with the words The Cleveland Greyhound    Made by Cleveland Musical Instr. Co appearing on the bell.  The only other markings include the appropriate number (1,2,3) on each of the valves as well as the serial number C-32113 appearing on the number 2 valve.  It comes complete with its original case as well as a mouthpiece marked DEL STRAIGERS   H.N. WHITE CO. 42.  This horn is in excellent condition with no dings and plays quite well.  I am quite curious about its age, who its intended consumer was, cost when new, and approximate worth now.  Thank you very much for you time
J Warren

Answer
For a brief period of time Cleveland Musical Instr. Co. existed as its own independent company, being established in 1920.  HN White purchased it in 1925, and used the label from then on to market student level instruments.

So the question becomes, was this an original Cleveland or a King (HN White's flagship line).  The mouthpiece would lead one to believe that it was a White product.  

But, my guess is that the mouthpiece is not original.  The reason is that I've been told that the Original Clevelands had  no mention of HN White on them and that their serial numbers began with a C!  

Now for even more speculation!  I believe that Cleveland was intended for the professional market, and that White only reduced to the student model level.  So, it would make sense that they would have been priced comparably to the quality horns of the time.  What looks to me to be a comparable Holton from 1926 cost $110.  

I would hesitate to make even a guess as to current value, but for the knowledgable person who knows the Cleveland Company from the White Cleveland brand, it should be more valuable than the more dominant models of the time, simply because of the rarity of it.



kms