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US ARMY BRASS “F” TRUMPET – INFANTRY MODEL MANUFACTURED BY HORSTMANN’S – VERY NICE SPECIMEN WITH SLIDING LOOP:  One of the iconic pieces of the 19Th Century Army, and a piece avidly sought by collectors, trumpets, or as they are commonly referred to – “bugles”, are a bit of an enigma.  While old trumpets are often found in antique and curio shops, there is little reference material to assure you that you are buying a trumpet that adheres to the US Army contract standards.  If you aren’t careful, you may be buying a Boy Scouts of America trumpet (saw one of these just the other day), or one used by any one of hundreds of fraternal or societal bands and marching groups that flourished during the late 19Th and early 20TH Centuries.   

Fortunately, the Quartermaster Department left specific standards and diagrams from which the dimensional information can be obtained.  As provided in the Specifications of 1879, the Trumpet for Foot Troops “When complete, with mouth piece in, to weigh about twelve and a half ounces, and to measure about sixteen inches in length….and the diameter of the bell to be about four and one half inches.”  The accompanying diagram indicates that the measurement of the coil is to be eleven inches.   

This trumpet measures 16 ½” long, the bell measures 4 ½” in diameter and the interior of the coils measures 11”, and it weighs right at 12.25 ounces.   

The trumpet is full form with very few handling dings, but no severe dents or misshaping.  Both carrying rings are present on the interior of the coils, and the mouth piece is present and functional.  The brass has a very pleasant even patina.  

Instead of a detachable “C” crook, this trumpet features a sliding coil as can be seen in the photographs below.  The Specifications of 1879 called for a separate “C crook”, or coil, an additional coil to change the pitch of the trumpet.  The sliding coil integral to this trumpet was an improvement over the separate “C” coil which was an additional piece that had to be carried by the soldier and was subject to damage or loss when separated from the trumpet. 

On the top of the bell is an applied brass medallion bearing the seal and riband of the Horstmann Uniform Company of Philadelphia, a well known supplier of military goods.  Horstmann's certainly would have been one of the primary sources for these trumpets, and having this maker’s seal on the trumpet is excellent provenance for this trumpet.   

This is a very nice specimen of the trumpets used by the army in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries.  SOLD

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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