Mark VI nickel over silver

clarnibass

clarnibass

Hi

One time I mentioned this sax on SOTW and some people asked if I had a photo. Now I do and maybe it will be interesting for somone here also. It is a Selmer Mark VI and it has nickel plating over silver plating. The story is, it was plated nickel over the silver plating for tax purposes of importing it to USSR, where it was originally bought.

Is it correct that Mark VI has this engraved on the bow to bell connection ring? The owner says it was purposely removed from there. It looks like something was removed but not definite and could be just plating wear (but from how it looks, the first option seems more likely).

Here is a photo:
markvinicksilv1bell.jpg
 
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clarnibass said:
Is it correct that Mark VI has this engraved on the bow to bell connection ring?
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I am a bit confused about "this". The photo I see doesn't show the brace. I gather you refer to the "MKVI" stamp. I am no expert but I thought they all did. Pete will surely know. BTW, nickel plate was a finish option on at least MKVI and MKVII. To bad that it tends to be looked down upon because it surely is the most resistant finish there is.
 
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I'm not seeing the image in the original post. It appears as a broken link. Does everyone else see it? Is it just me?
 
Nothing to see here either.
 
Does the photo work now? I put it on a different website.

The photo doesn't show the bow-to-bell ring, just another area where the nickel plating is wearing and reveals silver plating under.

Yes, I did mean the "Mark VI" stamp. This brace (not in the photo) has what can be just wear of plating, but not really sure and could be, like the owner claims, the stamp was removed. I'm not sure. It is definitely 100% a Mark VI.

I didn't know nickel plating was an finish option. I only saw lacquer body with nickel keys. But I don't think those original nickel plated Mark VI had it plated over silver plating, like this one, right?
 
clarnibass said:
Does the photo work now? I put it on a different website.

The photo doesn't show the bow-to-bell ring, just another area where the nickel plating is wearing and reveals silver plating under.

Yes, I did mean the "Mark VI" stamp. This brace (not in the photo) has what can be just wear of plating, but not really sure and could be, like the owner claims, the stamp was removed. I'm not sure. It is definitely 100% a Mark VI.

I didn't know nickel plating was an finish option. I only saw lacquer body with nickel keys. But I don't think those original nickel plated Mark VI had it plated over silver plating, like this one, right?
Click to expand...
I don't think so either. I own an original nickel plated MKVII tenor. It is a great horn that clearly was played a lot but never sustained any damage so I cannot tell for sure. However, at the base of the posts, the nickel plate has flaked off in placed but there is brass underneath. No signs that I can tell of silver. Interestingly, those areas are free of any corrosion.
 
Gold plate always goes over silver, but nickel over silver is a little different. Selmer might have offered this as a special order, or this might be a replate.

A friend of mine plays a Paris assembled mk6 tenor with nickel plated keys and clear lacquer body. Mk6's came in many different configurations, if you walked into the office in Paris and talked to Patrick or Jerome, you might come away with something rare.

The mk6 logo on the band attaching the bow to the bell was engraved on the earlier models, stamped on the later horns.

Julian
 
I don't think that a mk6 assembled in Paris in '58 would have a mk6 logo. Elkhart assembled horns of this vintage might have the logo engraved next to the thumb octave key. The bow to bell connection logo came later in the run, maybe towards the 115,000 series.


Julian
 
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