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Antique Musical Instruments/OLD CARL FISHER CORNET "RELIABLE NEW YORK"

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Expert: - 7/31/2007


Question
THIS HORN BELONGED TO MY DAD BILL DILLARD, WHO PASSED IN 1995. WHAT CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT THIS HORN? THE SERIAL NUMBER ON THE BELL IS 22971. THE VALVES ARE NUMBERED 79, 80 AND 81. AUSTRIA IS STAMPED NEAR THE MOUTHPIECE .

Answer
Carl Fischer (1849-1923) started as a dealer in New York in 1872, after immegrating from Germany, supplying sheet music and imported instruments from Europe.  They opened a division, Carl Fischer Musical Instrument Co. which then bought out York Band Instrument Co. in 1940. The manufacturing of York instruments went on until the 1970's at the York plant in Grand Rapids, Mi. under the directorship of the Carl Fischer Musical Instrument Co.

Your instrument is obviously one of the imported instruments.  There is no known serial number lists for Fischer instruments.  But it is no newer than 1923.

Antique Musical Instruments

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Kenton Scott

Expertise

Please note: My area is BRASS instruments, not other wind, string or percussion instruments. I will provide information on antique, obscure and out of production BRASS instruments. 1) Please don't ask for evaluations, I'll not provide them on this site. 2) I am often asked very similar questions, so I'd invite you to first check on Horn-u-Copia.net. Much of the information I have garnered about this topic, I have posted on this WEB site.

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I perform in several historical bands, have informally researched the area, repair brass instruments, and operate a Forum dedicated to the topic at http://horn-u-copia.net

Education/Credentials
B.S. Ed, M.S.

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