"Chicagoan" = Martin Stencil?

robko626 said:

I was checking out an old sax in person yesterday -- a "Chicagoan" alto. Beveled tone holes, which tells me it's a Martin. The alt-F# key on the right hand doesn't have a key pearl, just like Handcrafts...but doesn't have the split bell keys...both on the left side, engraving on the front.

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FWIW, beveled tone holes don't always mean Martin. Other manufacturers made saxes with soldered, beveled toneholes, like Couturier and York. With bell keys on the left, it probably is a Martin, though. To my knowledge, none of the other manufacturers continued making them into the 1930's when same-sided bell keys came on the scene.

robko626 said:

Never heard of this stencil...wish I had a photo to upload. Is this ringing a bell to anyone? I read that Martin handcraft stencils can be valuable...Not sure.

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I saw a "Chicagoan" alto many years ago on Ebay and thought it was a Martin stencil at the time.

Martin Handcrafts valuable? They might have "some" value depending on condition, but any Martin stencil alto in perfect playing condition probably isn't worth more than $500, and not much more than $300 for unfamiliar names. That's my 2-cents, anyway.

The exception might be the Dick Stabile stencil which has more features found on Martin's first and second line horns of the day.