Big Old Conn Eb

[Mike Finn]

Thought some of you might enjoy pics of this neat old Conn Eb recently acquired by a friend of mine. Serial number places it around 1903. It's pretty big, at 35" tall with a 17.5" bell, but doesn't look like the "Giant" tubas I've seen. The bell stack seems different, and in the comparison shot, you can see the bottom bow is substantially larger than that of my new King. I'll try to get a decent shot of the engraving, it says MADE BY C.G. CONN ELKHART, IND. AND NEW YORK. (Didn’t mean to shout, but the engraving is in all caps)
The horn plays in low pitch, as evidenced by the little loop at the main tuning slide, and the valves are pretty worn, but it's fun to honk on all the same. The owner is a former Army tubist, looking to get back into playing, and said he'd probably sell it to upgrade to a modern horn. I'll post in the "For Sale" column if and when he officially puts it on the market. For now, I just wanted to share the pics. Anyone have one like it? Care to share any anecdotes? I'm thinking this would be a good candidate for full restoration, if it has any historical value.
MF