Dating my BAT

[Dan Schultz]

.... The paddle arrangement is very similar to a pre-war King 1290, though the bell is more like the standard pre-war German kaiser tuba. If this one was made between the wars for export to the U.S., King might well have gone to school on it for its own model. The similarity in the configuration of the mechanism suggests someone went to school. It's not impossible that Alexander was copying the King configuration in order to appeal to the American market--as bad as it was in the U.S. during the Depression, it was worse in Germany....

King has been mentioned twice in this thread. I have one of those rotary Kings (a 'pit' model) and it's quite clear that King had nothing to do with the manufacture of the rotors, which are obviously of European origin.

At this point... if I had to 'guess'... I think the rotors on the Kings were probably manufactured by the same folks who made the Alex valves.

[J.c. Sherman]

This is definitely not a 164... it's much too old, and the bell flare and other items (including style elements from similar Alexander Horns) puts the date around 1925-1930 if my Alex-o-philia is correct. Could be a bit earlier, but that's my sense from all the factors here.

J.c.S.

[TubadudeCA]

The general consensus seems to be that it is before WWII, so the 1925-1930 estimate seems like a good bet to me. Now that I've taken some time to look at other photos, the paddles really ARE odd! Maybe somebody disliked the traditional Alex buttons and had them replaced?

Also, can anyone give me a ballpark figure of what it may be worth?

[TubadudeCA]

The general consensus seems to be that it is before WWII, so the 1925-1930 estimate seems like a good bet to me. Now that I've taken some time to look at other photos, the paddles really ARE odd! Maybe somebody disliked the traditional Alex buttons and had them replaced?

Also, can anyone give me a ballpark figure of what it may be worth?

How much did you buy it for?

$100

[TubadudeCA]

Well that's a good starting point![/quote]

I sure think so! But the reason for me wanting to know of the value, is me trying to figure out if I should insure it. Never in my life do I ever plan to sell it.

[Rick Denney]

Well that's a good starting point!

I sure think so! But the reason for me wanting to know of the value, is me trying to figure out if I should insure it. Never in my life do I ever plan to sell it.[/quote]

In general, the value of tubas is in how they play. Very few tubas have the provenance or history to be valuable as collector pieces beyond their value as playing instruments. And probably all of those are already safely part of collections, and not sitting in someone's attic to be found in the next garage sale.

I would ensure it for replacement value, and provide as the replacement comparable any modern 4-valve Bb tuba of largish proportions. With a provider like Clarion, you'll need an appraisal, and those can be provided by those who sell and repair tubas (including some on this forum).

For actual cash value, condition is everything, and can't be determined from pictures on a forum. An appraisal for actual cash value would be nice to have to show the insurance company in case of a total loss.

If it's in good condition (and looks it) and plays really well, you might be able to get about half what a new, similar tuba would cost, if you wanted to sell.

Rick "doubting it's the long-lost instrument of the Berlin Phil tuba player from 1929" Denney

[TubadudeCA]

http://www.oberloh.com/gallery/Dan&alxcompleted.jpg

I just saw this on the Oberloh site. This Alex has what appears to be the same paddles as mine. So it seems that unless they were replaced during the restoration, that Alexander was using these types of paddles during the early 1900's.