Fluteland.com Flute Message Board

My sister purchased a new Artley Symphony flute, Serial number 7856 (on all three sections), in 1955 from what she thought was an Artley factory (or warehouse) in Los Angeles or a Los Angeles suburb. I have the flute now and have just had new pads put in it. The "History of Artley Flutes" web site lists serial numbers, but the serial number information on the web site does not correlate with the above information. The web site lists Artley serial numbers beginning with 10,000 (none earlier than 10,000) and indicates flutes with serial numbers 10,000 through serial number 11,999 were made in 1952. She is certain of her date of purchase since she graduated from high school in 1954 and she purchased the flute the following year; it was a brand new flute. She loved it and played it continuously until three years ago when she broke her shoulder and can no longer lift it to play. Can someone comment or indicate where I can find more reliable information on the date of manufacture? Thanks, DEP

Some of the manufacturers were not real good about keeping accurate records correlating serial numbers and year of manufacture. In some cases, the lists are a guess or approximation. It's also possible that the flute sat in the factory, a warehouse, or a music store for several years before your sister bought it.

Artley flutes date back to the 1930s when Donald Artley and his family started the Artley Flute Co. The company changed names a few times before it became Artley Inc. in 1958. Artley was later bought by Conn around 1969 and although Artley flutes are no longer made, the Artley name is currently owned by Conn-Selmer. You could try contacting Conn-Selmer to see if they have any more accurate records of serial numbers, but their website shows the same numbers/years that you found elsewhere.

_________________
"Never give a flute player a screwdriver."
--anonymous--

Thank you for your response. I'll try pursuing with Conn. DEP