dating antique whistles

Steve Hawley · Post by **Steve Hawley** » Fri Sep 19, 2003 5:54 pm

I have an antique whistle that I'd like to find an approximate date of manufacture for. Anybody out there care to guess? It looks about 100 years old, judging by the condition. There seems to have been a period when this style of whistle was common. It was made from brass tubing (no soldered seam) that was plated with nickel. At the lower end, there are four grooved bands that appear to have been cut in on a lathe. The tubing was flattened at the mouthpiece and a wood fipple put in, then it was sealed over smoothly with lead. There is a metal "cigar band" soldered on just above the fingerholes. On the left of the band there is a letter "J" and on the right there is a "D". At the top of the band, in the centre, there is a profile of a torso of a very unattractive woman, with a wing instead of an arm. Attached to the wing are strings that are strung to her hip, making her intyo a human Lyre. Just below that are the words "in tune". Below that, it says, "London" and at the very bottom of the band there is a letter "G". It is a small whistle, that plays in G, and that explains the letter G, but I know nothing about the rest. Does anybody out there know what period this "in tune" was likely to have been made in?

Chuck_Clark · Post by **Chuck_Clark** » Fri Sep 19, 2003 9:02 pm

Are you sure the fipple plug is lead on wood and not solid lead?

The dating isn't easy. There's little documentation anyone's ever produced for this stuff. Essentially, this is one of the two types that immediately preceded modern plastic-fippled tubes. The other was the type still made by such as Clarke and Cooperman. All we can really say for sure is probably prior to the 1950s. This type is generally not bad, often better than the plastic-fippled cheapies of today.

The type is still made, of course, by makers such as Mack Hoover, the only real change being that other materials have replaced the lead.

kevin m. · Post by **kevin m.** » Sat Sep 20, 2003 2:19 am

I have a more or less identical whistle in high 'G',with the 'Lyre' logo,though mine has the letters 'J' and 'H' on it.
My whistle is unplated brass,and I reckon that it's probably 80-100 years old.I think that plated whistles came in a little later-1930's?
I agree that it's difficult to track down any hard historical information about these instruments!

Jumper · Post by **Jumper** » Sat Sep 20, 2003 8:40 am

Steve, take a look at this discussion:

http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?t=7229

Your whistle sounds similar to the Barnett Samuels and Generation whistles discussed there.

My Barnett Samuel G whistle (shown in that thread) appears to be about 140 years old.

-Jonathan-