Seeking Info on Boosey and Co Alto Sax

[Nsanders15]

Hello,

I'm hoping someone can help me with a bit of information on a Boosey and Co Alto sax I have.

The engraving on the bell reads:

Approved by E.Mills
Boosey & Co
Makers
295 Regent St
London
17222
R.Correll
South Australia

I have attached a picture as well.

Would love it if anybody can give me some pointers on how old this model is? and any other info you may have on E.Mills?

I'm interested to find out the details!

Thanks!

 

[TrueTone]

I can say it's pre-1930 by it not being Boosey and Hawkes.
I'll look for a serial number chart, though pictures of more of the sax than the engraving would be very helpful in the meantime.
So having found Clarinet serials, which are probably closer than the brass serials I had before: http://www.clarinetperfection.com/clsnBH.htm
This is probably from 1907-09 or so.

 

[Tony Fairbridge]

I can say it's pre-1930 by it not being Boosey and Hawkes.
I'll look for a serial number chart, though pictures of more of the sax than the engraving would be very helpful in the meantime.
So having found Clarinet serials, which are probably closer than the brass serials I had before: http://www.clarinetperfection.com/clsnBH.htm
This is probably from 1907-09 or so.

An R. Correll was a violin maker in Adelaide, South Australia in the mid-to late 1800's. I believe he died around 1912.

 

[Helen]

+1 to TrueTone's comment about more photos of your sax to help ID it.

I have seen a few different Boosey & Co. horns. Their styles vary wildly. Seeing pics of your horn will help a lot in trying to figure out what it is you have.

Whatever it is you have, may have been built as a stencil for R. Correll. In other words, Boosey & Co. may be have contracted to build saxophones for the R. Correll company for the Australian market. But some research would have to confirm that. At this point I am just making an educated guess based on what I know of the company's later incarnation (Boosey & Hawkes) and their provision of stencil horns to different worldwide markets.

 

[pete]

I can say it's pre-1930 by it not being Boosey and Hawkes.
I'll look for a serial number chart, though pictures of more of the sax than the engraving would be very helpful in the meantime.
So having found Clarinet serials, which are probably closer than the brass serials I had before: http://www.clarinetperfection.com/clsnBH.htm
This is probably from 1907-09 or so.

http://www.woodwindforum.com/forum/showthread.php?1021-Serial-Number-and-Model-Listing&p=7223#post7223

https://woodwindforum.com/forum/index.php?threads/serial-number-and-model-listing.20851/#post-197569 (updated with active link)

I attached two PDFs to that post that have probably more Boosey, Hawkes, and B&H info than you want.

I'm fairly sure "E. Mills" was a foreman or something at Boosey. Or he just liked playing cricket with them.

 

[Nsanders15]

Thanks guys!!!

This is all really useful info!

I've attached a few more pictures of the saxophone in case it helps identifying anything else!

 

[Helen]

Oh my... That is even older than I imagined it would be. Does it by chance have a double octave key?

 

[Steve]

That is super old.

As Helen asks, please provide a picture of where your left thumb rests - the octave key area.
and better photos of the neck area.

 

[pete]

This one's older (1890) . While the pics are old, ugly, and take forever to load, it might be worth it: it's a non-auto octave key bari that I think is keyed to altissimo E. That's kinda unique.

Personally, I don't see any problem with calling it Boosey made and from 1907 (TrueTone's date checks out on the PDF in my above link for reed instruments, too). I can't say I've seen a bazillion Boosey horns, but the look is consistent with the ones I've seen. Hey, here's one with a very close serial number (17102) that I found after a minute of Googling.

Maybe I should look into Boosey horns more. This one's really cool looking.

Anyhow, a few manufacturers in Europe kept the "old style" Adolphe Sax-looking instruments around until the 1940s and sold them as their "introductory" saxophones, but sometimes with small improvements -- like how your horn is keyed to altissimo F, rather than a more traditional Eb. It probably doesn't have an automatic octave key, but that invention was patented in 1888 and a lot of makers charged extra for that. (I'm remembering $5 in one of the old Conn catalogs, for some reason. That's about $125, adjusting for inflation.)

 

[Helen]

This week we had the same kind of horn come into the shop. It was sold to a shop in Toronto, Canada. It was in much nicer condition, and yes, it is a LP horn with a double octave key. I am trying to find info on it right now. Mostly hitting a brick wall.

The bell is engraved:

Approved by E. Mills
Trademark
Boosey
Boosey & Co.
Makers 295 Regent Stt.
London
20709
R.S Williams & Sons
Toronto

1. It is an Eb alto. (Presumably LP, since it was 100% in tune according to the tuner, when I played it with my regular Meyer alto MP)
2. It is keyed from low B to high F
3. It has no pearls
4. It also has no rollers
5. High E is directly above side Bb. Side C is located toward the front.
6. There is no automatic octave key.
7. It is a much nicer example than the one that someone from Australia asked about back in 2016. They do appear identical in design however.

This alto has had very little trauma in its life. It looks in remarkable condition, and at some point in its not-too-distant-past, had at least a repad, if not a full overhaul.