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Old Harmonica?


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Found this one in a patch of woods where I have been finding some old coins. Not sure but looks like what is left of a harmonica, top and bottom seem to be missing and rivits long rusted away. I was able to snag parts of the center which was wood. Not sure why that held up and rest is gone. Maybe the owner had a drinking issue which preserved the inners? 🙂

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Looks like a harmonica to me.  Here's a website with a good assembly drawing:

https://musicianswebstore.com/harmonicas_howitworks.asp

I've never found a wood comb, only the (metal) reeds.

 

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Cool my guess was right then. Wonder if it's just really old, maybe had wood top and bottoms? Area dates to mid 1800 when it was active.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I think I noticed a number on the right side of the middle piece so you should cross that number on the internet.

Great find and try to preserve it if you can, as my guess is around the 1860's. 1900's is when they quit with wood centers.

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Is it brass?

Some of it show a brass feature to it, and you can clearly see where the iron rivets have rusted out of it.

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I didn't notice any numbers will have to check it out closer. Been doing some reverse electrolysis on old hunting trap I found see what I can recover from it. Might bake a nice paper holder 🙂

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Wasn't a number, just the letter F, guessing its a note to make it easier to assemble. No other marks on it.

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Here is some more information that I have found for you.

The bold information is the main parts that I wanted you to see the most.

At the bottom is information to check out if you want to know more about what you have found.

The harmonica's materials may also help in the estimate of it's vintage. Generally, the more primitive the harmonica looks, the older it is.The first Hohner harmonicas were made by hand, on a kitchen table, by 4 workers, in 1857 (as the story goes).

By 1880, Hohner used modern machines, ushering in mass production techniques. The first harmonicas (not Hohners) were made in 1822, and used lead reed plates or no reed plates.hand-hammered brass reeds, or other less expensive materials, and hand-carved wood combs. By 1830, harmonicas were being made in the USA and England. The English "Aeolion" had no comb, and was a reed plate and reeds only.

6. Key Stamp, Major or Minor Key, Model & Number, In English, German, Spanish or French:

The same models of harmonica are often re-named and sold in several countries. The covers are changed, in the language of the country to which the harps are sent. The language on the covers is determined by the harp's area
of distribution. This may or may not help determine your harmonica's vintage.

In Germany, our key of Bb is stamped B, and our B is H. Also, in German, dur means major, and moll means minor key. Some harmonicas have the key stamped on the top cover, othes are engraved, embossed or painted on the comb or top cover. Genrally, embossed key stamps are older harmonicas, then engraved, then painted key stamps.

Expert harmonica collectors may also determine a harmonica's vintage in other ways, such as shape and/ or size of the rivets holding the reeds onto the reed plates, amount of tabs on the covers (for the cover screws or nails), and so on.

Generally, harmonicas that have 2 tabs on the right side and 2 on the left side of each cover are older harps (circa late 1880s through about 1937), than the harmonica covers with one tab on the right and one on the left. Also, the shape of the single tabs on the covers is also important for dating. The rounded tabs are earlier models from about 1910 to about 1940, and the square tabs are generally dated from 1940 to present day.

All of the statements in this article are subject to discussion and contradiction, but are based on experiences of reliable harmonica collectors, players and repair people. For more information on dating your Hohner harmonica, contact (2002 information):

Alan Bates, HCI, 426 Bayberry lane, West Grove, PA 19390 (USA).

America's Shrine to Music Museum (Alan Bates' collection of 3500 harmonicas donated to the musieum),
414E. Clarke St. Vermillion, SD 57069-2390 (USA)

Hohner, USA, Inc., Sissi Jones, Repair Dept.,1000 Technology Park, Glen Allen, VA 23060 (USA),
Phone: (804) 515-1900.

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The plates are brass, the reeds are steel and rusted away. Shape looks like it was punched out and the F is stamped. I wish the top and bottom were still around but it is possible they weren't in the area where I found it, possibly a throw away as I found a bucket fairly deep full of broken glass nearby. It was located near foundation that looked to be a chicken coop where I found an old trap (possibly for fox or weasels).

Great dig on info,

Thanks

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