Soon after I got married, my wife's grandfather had an estate sale to clear out the old family farm. While helping to set up the sale, I found an old trombone still in a flaking leather case in a corner of the attic. Being a musician and music teacher, I asked if I could purchase it from the estate. I had a lofty thought that I'd be able to one day put it in a nice display case and show off this really cool old family heirloom!
Well, 18 years and 4 kids later, I realize that this isn't going to happen, and it's better for this instrument to be played, especially since it hasn't been played in approximately 100 years. (According to the family, the gentleman who played it died about 1920.)
After buying it from the sale, I had it cleaned up by a brass tech while I was in graduate school for music. From what I've found out, it's a Kruspe trombone made in Leipzig somewhere between 1910-1915. The bell is paper-thin - when it was cleaned up, you could see the shadow of your hand through the bell...Since then, it's been packed in a cardboard box and stored, handled only once or twice with gloves.
I'm looking for a "fair market value" for the instrument - is there some sort of "blue book" for brass? I know where to find information on wood instruments & woodwinds, but not about brass! I'm hoping someone here can help me out. Are antique brass prices fairly universal, or does it vary from region to region?
Thanks for any assistance you can lend!
I can't seem to attach pictures here, but pictures of the instrument can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10153113315238246&type=1&l=1049836f89