Help identifying Euphonium...

[Alex C]

You have a 3 valve Besson baritone horn from the early part of the 20th century. It is incomplete, missing at least 3finger buttons, 2 valve stems and maybe two pistons, can't tell from photos.

I suggest that you put it on ebay. I don't think you'd get close to $100 for it but you never know.

[imperialbari]

It is British (obviously), and it is a baritone. Yet it hardly is a British style baritone, which would have a leaner bell stack. It isn’t a euphonium either, which would have been fatter. It also is on the lean side for a French Saxhorn basse. But then it fits pretty well with the country of its finding as of its assumed era of making. It looks very much like a large number of US made baritones from around 1900 and the decades thereafter.

If the damages to the tubing were the main problem, it might have been worth restoring it. The missing parts could be reconstructed, but the costs hardly would be justified by the playing qualities to be expected from an instrument with just 3 valves.

Klaus

[Mike-ICR]

It was made between 1900 and 1905 according to the serial number and, while it may not be worth fixing, it is definitely a good 'parts horn' to make similar horns playable. You may be lucky enough to find some of the missing parts in that junk pile. Good homes for these horns can be hard to find but there are a few history buffs browsing the bay these days.