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I recently picked up a sousaphone from a local high school and found an instrument in good overall condition, but I was confused as to its pedigree. I don’t know if the bell and body are from the same instrument. The bell is 24” and says Elkhart Band Inst. Co in a heart ingraving. The body has a serial number of F60294 on valve stem which seems to indicate possibly Conn from the research I’ve done... I can’t find any serial number database for Elkhart. I’ve read a bit about the company from the 20s. I want to Know exactly what I ended up with. Any help would be appreciated.
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The biggest reason I thought it might be mismatched was the serial numbering scheme. The letter followed by 5 numbers is consistent with Conn at one point, so I wondered if the body could be from that time. Also, the wrap of the valve tubing looked different than the Buescher instruments from that time period that I could find.

I do not need a sousaphone, I do not need a sousaphone, I do not need...

Does it have a neck and bits?

I borrowed one of these from Dutch Eithoven while my King was being overhauled when I worked for Disney World. It's a 14K Conn stenciled as an Elkhart Band Instrument Company horn. Those old Elkhart-based manufacturers were literally across the street from one another; Conn (probably during the Greeleaf era) sold these out the back door. I remember it to be easy to play, although rather "barky" - a lightweight sousaphone with those jagged Conn bits (that's where the bark comes from).

I have a similar sousaphone - manufactured in 1955 - obviously a Conn 14K stencil. It has the 24" bell, and two bell screws. The engraving on the bell has the elk head inside of a heart, Built by Buescher, Elkhart, IND. My father picked it up for me, pre-beat up, as my home practce horn in 1975 (5th grade), I marched some with it during school, also. It is currently at Lee Stofer's shop for much needed repair and restoration work.