Cleveland, Ohio
Silver King – H. N. White

Metals
ca.  1924 – 1931 
Length:  26.5 inches
Wind Instruments – Woodwind Instruments – Single Reed

Engraved Stamp On Bell:   SILVER / KING / N.P. / MADE BY / THE H.N. WHITE & CO. / CLEVELAND / OHIO

This is a rare artist special gold hand burnished SILVER KING clarinet in Bb made by The H.N. White Co., Cleveland, Ohio. Late in the 1800’s, manufacturers began making metal flutes to replace the wooden flutes. Wooden instruments tended to absorb moisture and were more sensitive and susceptible to damage with changes in temperature and humidity than metal instruments. Likewise, they used the same rationale to begin developing metal clarinets.  Sometime between 1924 and 1931 the H. N. White Company started to manufacture brass clarinets. All three brands of the company – King, Cleveland, and American Standard, all featured metal construction, but the top-of-the-line ‘Silver King’ featured solid sterling silver bells.  The H. N. White Company made ‘in house’ all its own Silver King Clarinets and did not stencil any for other companies.

During his remarkable career as a designer and manufacturer of musical instruments, Henderson White redesigned twenty-eight instruments. He made a huge impact on the manufacturing of musical instruments, because of his passion for high quality perfect sounding instruments.

Resource:  https://www.hnwhite.com/hnwhitepage.htm