Hohner Corona II – Can production/assembly number 698 (or 869 depending which way you read it) help date it?
Hello, I’m trying to determine the approximate age of an older German-made Hohner Corona II that has been restored and refinished.
I found the number 698 (869) stamped inside the original wooden treble body. After removing the bellows, I found the same 698 (869)
stamped on the wooden bellows frame.
From information I’ve found here, I understand that short matching numbers like this may be factory production/assembly numbers used to keep fitted components together, rather than the instrument’s serial number.
Does anyone know whether Hohner’s old production/assembly numbers can be associated with a particular production period, batch, or factory record?
I’m especially trying to determine whether this Corona II could be from the 1950s or 1960s.
The accordion has been heavily restored: the exterior finish and grille are new, and the reed blocks appear to have been replaced/rebuilt. However, the wooden body, treble mechanism and bellows/frame appear to be original, and both original sections carry the matching 698.
I can provide detailed photos of the mechanism, internal construction and 698 stamps if that would help identify the production period.
Thanks for any information!
I’ll forward your photos to Accordion Service and ask if they can help, but don’t know whether they’ll be able to answer your detailed questions. Any archive search will entail a fee. I assume you’re right about the number, it’s too short to be a serial number.
They offer the following certification service for accordions, you can contact the head of Accordion Service Ralf Tritschler directly at the email below:
For a flat fee of EUR 40.00 we will conduct an archive search to determine the age of your accordion. To do so, we will need the model designation or a photo of the instrument, plus the 5- or 6-digit serial number.
This will enable us to find the date of delivery from the factory. Please note that for models produced between 1930 and 1987 you will receive both delivery date and shipping location. For models produced after 1987, we can only provide the month of production.
This information will be sent to you in the form of a certificate. If you are interested, please pay the fee of EUR 40.00 to one of the bank accounts below, and send your full postal address and email to RTritschler@hohner.de
As soon as we receive the fee, we will select the data and send the certificate by post and e-mail to the address given in the next few days.
Bank Details:
Commerzbank AG
IBAN DE37 6944 0007 0158 3400 00, Swift Code COBADEFFXXX
Volksbank Trossingen
IBAN DE08 6429 2310 0011 9100 03, Swift Code GENODES1TRO
The Hohner Service Dept. tells me that the accordions of the Corona series, as well as all other Wiener models (1-, 2- and 3-row) that were built prior to 2012, were not assigned serial numbers. This means it isn’t possible to find out when any particular instrument was built. However, based on the fact that this one has been heavily restored, it seems reasonable to assume that it’s fairly old.
The numbers on the components inside the instrument are control numbers (often handwritten), which usually stem from the individual craftsmen who built the instrument. There doesn’t appear to be any record of their significance in terms of date of manufacture. The Corona series has been produced since 1955, so yours could certainly date from the late 1950s or 1960s.
I hope that helps.
