Quote:
Originally Posted by heck99  Hi all. I went to my local music store and they had a used Silver-plated vintage Conn Director horn. I played around on it and it played surprisingly well. He offered $200 for the horn. Is this a good/bad price? It is in very good condition. He also had an Olds Ambassador which wasn't as nice aesthetically, but played well nonetheless. I'm just curious. Thanks!
-heck |
You haven't told us enough about the Director.
Does the serial number compared to the list at
The Conn Loyalist
indicate that it is from the 50's or 60's or 70's?
(Print out the list and take it to the store with you, or call the store and ask them to read the serial number to you.)
The older Directors of the 50's and 60's were much better quality.
Does it have a copper bell or brass bell under that silverplate?
Copper under the silverplate is better.
Look at the list at
The Conn Loyalist
It could be a 14B or 18B from the 1950's, the 18B is better because the bell is made of copper.
It could be a 15B or 17B from the 1960's, the 17B is better because the bell is made of copper.
Directors made after 1969 are not considered as desirable because the Conn company was sold and the Conns made after that were lesser quality.
Although there is a slight chance that there is a copper bell under the silver, in the absence of proof otherwise you will have to assume that there is a brass bell under the silverplate.
Even if it is the 1950's 14B with brass bell in excellent condition, they sell for a maximum of $100, usually less (mine was $56 plus $16 shipping, but I think mine was an unusual bargain).
But you would then need to add to the value however much the silverplate would be worth ($50? $75?).
It is rare to see a silver Director in eBay.
The only one I could find in a search just now was a 1971 cornet that went unsold at $200.
I suspect that much of the price of your trumpet is due to the silverplate, but statistically I think that the silverplated Directors tend to be the newer models from after 1969, so the added value of the silver tends to be cancelled by the fact that the trumpet itself is from the latter years when Conns were not made as well.
I think the best point I could make is this:
Look at the Conn quality comparison chart at
The Conn Loyalist
Directors are very nice student trumpets.
But the much better quality professional 22B's are often seen in Ebay for around $200.
A 1951 in beautiful condition went for $256:
eBay: VINTAGE CONN 22B TRUMPET (item 280123139041 end time Jun-14-07 19:10:48 PDT)
My 1952 22B in need of a re-lacquer job was only $93 plus $18:
eBay: Antique Working C.G. Conn Ltd. Brass Trumpet +Case&More (item 260124047793 end time Jun-06-07 18:57:10 PDT)
My 1956 Director 14B in excellent condition was $56 plus $16:
eBay: Conn Director Trumpet 649235 With Case L@@K NO RESERVE (item 170103751139 end time Apr-26-07 18:00:00 PDT)
So for $200 you can by a silverplate student Director or a lacquered professional 22B.
- morris