Expert: Kenton Scott - 9/7/2006

Question
 Can you tell me the approxiate value of a silver finished piston-valve coronet that is engraved in fancy script as follows:  

"Lyon & Healy
Own-Make
Chicago
U.S.A."

My wife's father played it in the Texas A&M band circa 1912.

Answer
Nope, I can't tell you its value.  It probably would not generate that much interest.  Which is probably too bad, because it may very well be a decent horn.

Lyon & Healy are pretty much forgotten today, but around 100 years ago they were probably the biggest name in the musical industry.   For the most part, they imported instruments and just put their name on them.  Much of the information about them is sketchy because fire in urban areas was such a large problem at that time.  And, a fire "did in" their records.  

However, it seems fairly certain that when they labeled the instruments as Own Make it was because 1) they were indeed making them, and 2) they were proud of them.  

Let me ask you a question.  Do you find any serial numbers on the instrument?  There are folks who are trying to create a dated serial number list, and you do have one reference date on this particular horn.