Where Do I Find the Serial Number on Trumpets? Using the instrument’s materials helps you get a ballpark idea of the age, but a serial number will give you the exact year or decade it was made. Silver-plated trumpets are older than your average 1950s brass trumpet, and anything made from animal parts (horn, bones, etc.) is most likely an ancient instrument or something recently crafted by hand to look historic.

You can also tell the age of a trumpet by the material that they are made from. That isn’t to say that accidents won’t happen, but it will be hard to determine that trumpet’s real age if you aren’t an expert.

If the serial number is scratched off, incorrect to what it should be, or missing entirely, you may not want to buy that trumpet.

If you are in the market for a historic trumpet and want to make sure that you are getting the real thing, research the serial numbers of the brand you are buying and cross-check that with the serial number on the instrument. If it has a longer serial number, such as #175000, that would indicate it is much newer, such as from 1980 in this case. This would be one of the oldest models of the Bach line. For example, a Bach trumpet from 1926 may have a #500 serial number. Serial numbers are a great way to tell the age of a trumpet.ĭepending on the serial number and company, you can learn a lot about your model. When is a Trumpet Too Old to Be of Any Use?.Are Old Trumpets Worth More than New Trumpets?.Where Do I Find the Serial Number on Trumpets?.The remaining four numbers of the serial number indicate the production number of the instrument on a monthly basis. The fourth character (number) indicates the specific type of instrument: '1' = Cornet, '2' = Trumpet, '3' = Alto Horn, '4' = French Horn, '5' = Mellophone, '6' = Valve Trombone, '7' = Slide Trombone, '8' = Baritone Horn & Euphonium, '9' = Tuba, and '10' = Sousaphone. The third character (a number) indicates the number of year within the decade (indicated earlier by the first letter). The second character, also a letter, indicates the month of the year 'A' for January, 'B' for February, 'C' for March, etc. In March of 1974 an alpha-numeric system was established where the first character (letter) of a serial number indicated the decade 'G' for the 1970's, 'H' for the 1980's, etc. There was a fire in the Indiana facility where some information was lost. Starting in 1987, the two-digit prefix number plus 50 will give you the year of manufacture on all Conn products.ĭuring the years from 1965 to 1969 information is more inacurate.

Conn trumpet serial number search