What is the difference between the “Marine Band”. And the “Up To Date”? I found my Grandfathers 1896 1/2 “Up To Date” as well as a “Super Chromonica” both are pre-WWII. I see so much about the “Marine Band” but nothing about the “Up To Date”.
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Hi Mark. Could you post pictures please? Especially of the top and front of the harp. Thanx! Joe Filisko
Hi Mark, this is the first time I’ve seen or heard of the “Up To Date”. The model number puzzles me, to the best of my knowledge there are no other Hohner harmonicas with a fractional number. Perhaps it was only available for a short time and was then discontinued, whereas the Marine Band 1896 has been in continuous production with minimal changes since the year of 1896. Though this is basically a 10-hole harmonica, it differs substantially from the Marine Band 1896 because it has divided chambers to separate blow and draw reeds, thus making it difficult to bend notes (one of the main the reasons for the lasting popularity of the Marine Band is the possibility of pitch modulation). I’ll forward the link to Martin Häffner from the German Harmonica Museum, he may have more info on this.
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Interesting harmonica. It looks like a version of an Auto Valve Harp. The comb suggests that, but also the cover plates look similar.
Does the box say Weimer Germany? A reference to the Weimer Republic.
Over to the Harmonica Detectives on this one. 
