| 5 valve, Screw bell OTS
A=450
Engraved on Bell: Made by | Graves & Co. | for | Geo. H. Hall | East Marshfield | Aug 13th 1851 / No 1
Engraved on Case: Presented to G. H. Hall / by / J. W. Mitchell / P. B. B.
Mark Elrod wrote:
This instrument is currently owned by John Korzun, a collector of over 30 years who lives in southern MI and was Steve Dillon’s original partner when the former lived in NJ. In my opinion, it is the rarest and most unusual instrument with the “Graves†signature on its bell. Needless to say, there is nothing like it ever offered for sale. It had been for sale by Dillon Music in New Jersey for several years at an asking price of $35,000.00. It was rumored that the New York Metropolitan Museum was working out a deal to buy it several years ago but if that was the case, it never materialized.
Continuing on, as a collector, I would like to present some thoughts/information from my perspective. If you read the description, the presentation year on the bell is 1851. Graves & Co. moved to Boston in 1851 from Winchester, NH. Since that is the case and knowing Graves & Co. capabilities insofar as manufacturing valve brasses in 1851, it is my belief that none of the component parts of this instrument were made at or by Graves but put together from parts imported from Germany. This was not an uncommon occurrence by makers and dealers in America. Graves was not set up nor did they have their own machinery to produce valves at that time (1851) and were only producing Eb keyed bugles and those in e.g. Wright’s shops. This arrangement between Wright and Graves apparently continued until sometime in 1856 when Wright (for some reason) moved his operations to Lowell, MA (for several years) and Graves took over the shops location in Boston where they started to manufacture all components of valve brass instruments. I have several brass instruments signed either “Made at E.G. Wright for Graves & Co., Boston†and “Made by Graves & co. at E. G. Wright, Boston.â€
Getting back to the actual instrument, it remains to be seen if this instrument will realize….say 25-30K. There are very few private collectors who might have the money to buy this instrument and money is very tight for museums at this time. From what I understand, the valves are quite loose (leaky). If someone bought it with the intention of playing, a “valve-job†at Andersons would cost over a grand in addition to smaller tweaks that might be necessary.
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