i called a local dealer of Selmer and he told me that it's probably an old trumpet, given that it has the Selmer label on it (apparently, all newer Trumpets have Bach on the side). I got conflicting information. Selmer Headquarters say that the trumpet I have was "made by Bach". However, the dealer tech mentioned that only old trumpets would have the Selmer imprint on them (it does), and that it might have been before the Selmer - Bach transition.
The dealer mentioned that at its peak, the trumpet I own was worth retail $2,500. Obvioulsy, the value would go down with age, but the trumpet is a professional model and it's definitely playable. He needs to appraise to give me an estimate for the trumpet's value, but I'm sure it's above $425.00 (Heck, i'd be happy if it retained $800.00 worth of value!)
I'm not looking to sell it. I was looking for a trumpet that would be at least a step above a student model so I can learn to play trumpet and have an instrument I can use to play. For the price I paid, I'd be happy if this trumpet had at least "intermediate" level tone and sound. I'm not much for buying student models...when I bought my percussion instruments, I bought professional models and later learned how to play them and was happy to have good equipment.
If anybody has any more info on a Selmer Claude Gordon, Model 57 Trumpet, with serial 001613, I'd appreciate it. I can't seem to find a lot of more info on the internet, and the Selmer people seemed surprisingly ignorant of a lot of the details (they just gave me few info on it).