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Adolphe Sax model Selmer saxophone serial number information
Despite purchasing all of the assets of the Adolphe Sax Company in 1928, Selmer did not start selling saxophones bearing the Adolphe Sax name until 1931. The last Adolphe Sax saxophone recorded in the Selmer Paris archives was sold in 1944. Its likely that production of Adolphe Sax instruments ceased at the onset of WWII with the invasion of France by Nazi Germany sometime after May of 1940. Any Adolphe Sax instrument sold after this date was most likely already made or assemble from pre-existing parts. For example, the record shows that all of the recorded Adolphe Sax instrument sales between 1940-1941 were from instruments already manufactued between 1931-36.
There is a fairly detailed record of these instruments recorded in a log book in the Selmer archives in Paris up to 1936 through serial number ~1364. The record is much less complete after 1936. Instruments manufactured after 1936 range in serial number from ~1350-3600. The log books shows the serial numbers jumping around quite a bit for the Selmer/Adolphe Sax saxophones. Even so, its possible from this record to assemble a basic serial number chart for these instruments as compiled below.
Some instruments were stamped H. Selmer and some were not. All were stamped Adolphe Sax 84 Rue Myrha. By comparing early verses later instruments, it becomes clear that some Adolphe Sax Selmer saxophones were assembled from the old Adolphe Sax tooling and other were put togther using parts and tooling from the Selmer St. Louis Gold Metal model instruments.
YEAR Serial Numbers
1931 145-246
1932 225-626
1933 568-1034
1934 988-1253
1935 1096-1338
1936 1078-1364
1937-1944 1364-3600
