Hi everyone, I have an old Marine Band harmonica that’s been sitting in my tool box for, geez, maybe 20 years, and just curious to see when it’s from. Want to give it to a friend as a gift and would like to be able to give him some background on it if possible. Thanks for any help you guys can give me!
1 Like
Hello. I’m here hoping to find info on how to date my Chromatica 262. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thank you. 
By
Sorry, missed your post. This appears to be the long orchestral version of the Chromatica, which according to the list I have dates from 1925. It has the 6 pointed star between the hands, which is prized by collectors, and appears to be in very good condition for a 100 year old instrument.
Hi Steve,
I have a different version of the Chromatica - please see the attached picture. Do you have any guess of it’s production date?
Thanks in advance,
Szabolcs
Hi Szabolcs
This appears to be the shorter version of the Chromatica. According to the list I have, this model was produced in 1921. So if that’s correct, this is the original version, the long orchestral model came later. Does yours also have the star between the hands on the lower cover?
Hope that helps
Steve
I’d like to add that dating harmonicas accurately is an uncertain business at best. Very few Hohner models have serial numbers with the exception of the Silver Concerto and the production records are often incomplete, so a lot of the time it’s a matter of making an educated guess.
Thanks Steve,
Yes, I know it’s not really possibe to tell exact dates. I was more curious of the range when this modell was started and ended.
For example it is a very useful info, that this shorter version is older.
By the way my Chromatica does not have any cover plate at the bottom, so it does not have the logo with the hands with or without the star.
Also, I wanted to ask whether those lists you are referring to are publicly available anywhere. To see start and end dates of certain models.
Thanks,
Szabolcs
Interesting, I don’t think I’ve seen one like that before. Why not try contacting the German Harmonica & Accordion Museum in Trossingen, they may have more information:
Salvatore Martinelli, harmonika-museum@t-online.de
Regarding the list of harmonica production dates, what I have appears to be incomplete and consists of scans of photocopies. I obtained them from former museum director Martin Häffner some years ago, as far as I know it’s not publicly available. I’ll check if there’s any objection to uploading them here.
Thanks a lot for all your help, Steve!
I will reach out to the museum and will share here if they know more about this interesting instrument.
Also thanks in advance to ask about sharing possibilities of your lists. Fingers crossed… 
If you won’t get the permission to upload, I most likely will have one more question, but for now let’s wait and see.
Thanks again,
Szabolcs
Hohner product manager Gerhard Müller says your instrument is a single row bass harmonica and thinks it was produced from the mid 1920s to 1950s. So it doesn’t appear to be the one mentioned on my list. The list was published in a book entitled Legende Hohner Harmonika by Haik Wenzel and Martin Häffner, which is now out of print, but may still be covered by copyright.
Thanks Steve,
I didn’t know about this book, but I will look around, maybe I can find a copy somewhere.
And yes, I can confirm, my instrument is a single row bass harmonica, Gerhard identified it perfectly. It’s good to know the approximate age.
And my last question for now if you don’t mind: do you know anything about the production dates of the old Chromatic Educator series (no. 972 - 973 - 974)?
Sorry for bothering with all these, but the Hohner website does not contain much info about these old models, only the current ones.
Thanks again,
Szabolcs
This one isn’t on my list. As I mentioned, this seems to be incomplete. I’ve forwarded the photos to product management for their comments and will let you know what they say, but don’t expect an answer until next week,
cheers
Steve
That’s OK, none of these questions are urgent any way. Thanks Steve, I appreciate everything you do for this community.
1 Like
I asked product manager Gerhard Müller about these instruments, he researched the following:
The models Educator 972 / 973 / 974 were originally made by the Andreas Koch company in Trossingen. Koch was bought up by Hohner on January 1, 1929 and many of their models were continued under the Hohner brand, including those mentioned above. It’s likely that the Educator models were sold under the Hohner name during the 1930s, but it’s uncertain for how long.
Interesting, I hope that’s useful,
Steve
Thanks a lot Steve,
That is very interesting indeed and extremely helpful.
Thank you so much for all your help!
Cheers,
Szabolcs
1 Like