Valuation Help

[clubsport]

Hello Everybody.

My Dad left me one of his most prized possessions when he passed. His 1947 (I think) Olds Recording Trombone. s/n 27962. One owner!

I need to have the horn valued so I can schedule it for insurance. I recently moved to Palm Desert Ca. but still frequent in LA area often. If anyone can pass along info or referrals, I would appreciate it. Thank You.

Brian

[Posaunus]

The TromboneChat (and perhaps world) authority on Olds trombones is member JohnL - he's in Anaheim.

1947-1948 sounds right.

Vintage Recording trombones have been selling in the range of $700-$1,200 I think.
Perhaps a bit more if truly "minty?" And less if trashed or "well-used."

[clubsport]

Thanks So Much

I looked at Ebay after I posted to get an idea. Your numbers are accurate to what is currently for sale there.

[hyperbolica]

For ones that have sold, I'd put it closer to $500. Recordings are generally very undervalued. I think they are one of the best looking and playing trombones. Depends of course on condition.

[JohnL]

I generally steer clear of valuations; I usually steer people towards completed eBay auctions.

If you're looking to establish a replacement cost for insurance purposes, I think you'd be better off looking at the online retailers like Dillon's and BrassArk. On eBay, it's hard to differentiate between an 85% horn, a 95% horn, and a 99% horn, so people tend to assume that really nice examples aren't quite as nice as they look (OTOH, they also tend to underestimate how much of a time/money sink a rough example will be).

As hyperbolica mentioned, a lot of Recordings sell in the $500 range; I think that has more to do with the psychology of bidding (and what I call "flinch points") than with the actual value of the instrument.