Chicago, Illinois
Julius Bauer & Co.

Brass with German silver bell rim
ca 1876
Length: 14 in with MPC; Bell diameter: 4.5 in
Wind Instruments – Brasswinds – Cornets / Cornopeans

Engraved on bell: (‘Crown’ emblem) / encircled: PRIZE MEDAL – OPORTO / 1865  / encircled: PRIZE MEDAL – PHILADA / 1876

This 19th century J. Bauer top action rotary valve (TARV) cornet has a nice raw brass patina with a German silver bell rim and touch valve keys.  It comes with an original mouthpiece and original black wooden box.  Julius Bauer & Co. was the first to make brass instruments in the city of Chicago in the 1860s.  As indicated in the engraving on the bell, this cornet bares a seal of “Prize Medal” from two World Fairs.  The International Exhibition of 1865, called the “Exposição Internacional do Porto“, held in the Portuguese city of Porto.  In addition to, The Centennial International Exhibition of 1876, that was the first official World’s Fair to be held in the United States.  It was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 10 to November 10, 1876, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia.  This cornet does not bare the maker’s name, only his company’s  ‘Crown’ emblem and the World Fairs Expositions, possibly being one of the earliest made by Bauer, with the TARV.