Instrument ID help, please

[imperialbari]

So, my trusting friends have consigned yet another unfamiliar instrument to me. I am a folk musician, but i play hammered dulcimer.........and know NOTHING about valve instruments. If anyone can help me ID this, i would be truly grateful. So, here is the description, and can email photos to any kindhearted person who can help:
Looks like a silver tuba, only SMALL. About 2 feet in length. 3 valves. Looks as though it is silver plate.....pretty thick, there is no peeling. A union label stamp on base of bell. HEAVY ingraving, hard to read the name, too ornate. My guess is:Frank Holtan and Company, CHicago Number 23015.
If anyone can help me on this, would greatly appreciate it!

Your description almost surely gives away, that it is a Frank Holton baritone/euphonium made in 1914.

Still I very much would like to see photos:

Possibly 300dpi. blue-print type shots of front and back plus readable shots of the engravings.

Even from the photos it will be impossible to estimate the value of the instrument. That will take a look at the level of wear of the valves plus an actual play test.

Klaus Smedegaard Bjerre
yorkmasterbbb@yahoo.com

[imperialbari]

No a baritone is not the same as a euphonium. But especially in the US there are borderline samples. The euphonium has a wider bore and a more voluminous bell than the baritone. However various US makers used the same outer dimensions of length and body with for both variants of Bb tenor/baritone instruments. From Holton I would rather expect a euphonium than a baritone. However I will need the photos to be positive.

The baritone versus euphonium matter is the topic of a thread of tonight. I have a posting there.

Klaus Smedegaard Bjerre

[windshieldbug]

If it looks like this, about 2 feet in length, and numbered 23015, then by description it sounds to me like a 1914 Holton Eb alto horn, made by Holton during the Chicago years