Besson (Boosey and Hawkes) Serial Number List 1974-2002. This chart is primarily intended to help with the identification of Sovereign Cornets but will help with Identifying other Boosey and Hawkes made brass instruments. Serial numbers are in the format 928-817061. * The factory serial number books. Sep 10, 2014 List of Serial Numbers by Year, Besson Euphonium If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed.
Reliable serial number information from the 1990s through 2006 is notoriously difficult to find. Unless you already know the year or know someone who owns a Besson horn and knows the year of manufacture, you pretty much have to extrapolate based on assumptions of how many horns Besson made in a given year. (The Buffett-Crampon Bessons, however, are easily dateable: the first two digits are the year of allocation.) The list purports to give the serial numbers through 1983, although it doesn't indicate whether the number is the starting or ending point for the indicated year. The data points I have for the 1990s are for a 967, serial no. 764,xxx, purchased new in the late 1980s (owner could not recall the exact year); and a 765, serial no. 852,xxx, which was purchased new in 1997.
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