Well, the moment I've been waiting for, I can ask the saxophone community at large:
What is going on with the early (1920s) Couesnon serial numbers?
I bought a mangled and painted baritone from France, and on the bell it is stamped 55864, and on the bow ferrule 103. It's from 1929.
Similarly, the mangled alto I bought to harvest parts from has a bow ferrule number of 888, and is dated 1923 (pineapple/grenade date), no 5 digit number on bell.
All good so far... the instruments must be numbered based on their pitch. 888 altos made as of 1923, 103 baritones made as of 1929. But two is a small sample, doesn't explain the 5 digit number on the bell, NOR does it explain:
https://www.saxontheweb.net/posts/4468240/
And one last detail? Some pictures online show TWO different 5 digit numbers stamped onto the bells, a 10XXX and a 5XXXX.
Brass instruments also have a 5digit number stamped on them, that dovetails nicely with the sax ones. But not all instruments are stamped...
https://www.saxontheweb.net/posts/4508401/
![Image]()
I can't afford nor justify buying any more old Couesnons to further this query, so first,
does anyone just outright know what's going on, or second, if you own a 1920s Couesnon, will you post ALL the numbers stamped on the saxophone, except the numbers 1900 or 94 Rue D'angouleme, please! This is actually driving me mad.
![Image]()
Yes, I made a spreadsheet. Barring clerical errors, it looks like perhaps the number on the body is annual (whether across all instruments or per pitch), the 10XXX is total saxophones, and the 5XXXX is total instruments across all families?
TLDR: looking to figure out early Couesnon serial numbers.
What is going on with the early (1920s) Couesnon serial numbers?
I bought a mangled and painted baritone from France, and on the bell it is stamped 55864, and on the bow ferrule 103. It's from 1929.
Similarly, the mangled alto I bought to harvest parts from has a bow ferrule number of 888, and is dated 1923 (pineapple/grenade date), no 5 digit number on bell.
All good so far... the instruments must be numbered based on their pitch. 888 altos made as of 1923, 103 baritones made as of 1929. But two is a small sample, doesn't explain the 5 digit number on the bell, NOR does it explain:
https://www.saxontheweb.net/posts/4468240/
812 is definitely lower than 888, but was made 5 years later, so maybe the serial numbers reset at the new year?
And one last detail? Some pictures online show TWO different 5 digit numbers stamped onto the bells, a 10XXX and a 5XXXX.
Brass instruments also have a 5digit number stamped on them, that dovetails nicely with the sax ones. But not all instruments are stamped...https://www.saxontheweb.net/posts/4508401/
I can't afford nor justify buying any more old Couesnons to further this query, so first,
does anyone just outright know what's going on, or second, if you own a 1920s Couesnon, will you post ALL the numbers stamped on the saxophone, except the numbers 1900 or 94 Rue D'angouleme, please! This is actually driving me mad.
Yes, I made a spreadsheet. Barring clerical errors, it looks like perhaps the number on the body is annual (whether across all instruments or per pitch), the 10XXX is total saxophones, and the 5XXXX is total instruments across all families?
TLDR: looking to figure out early Couesnon serial numbers.
