Unknown Maker "Cornopean"

This mid-nineteenth-century cornopean is a great study piece for the collection, showing both the design of early valve systems and the toll that time can take on an instrument. Visually, it is completely unrestored and unplayable, kept strictly as a non-functional display object. The valve block has seen better days—the connection between the first and second valve casings is completely severed and broken beyond any realistic repair. On top of that, the main tuning slide is frozen solid due to decades of oxidation, and both the large bend and the bottom bend of the leadpipe are visibly warped out of alignment.

While these issues mean it will never play a note again, the instrument still has plenty of historical value. Left exactly in its "as-found" condition, this cornopean offers an honest look at the natural aging process of antique brass and stands as a cool testament to the survival and wear of early musical instruments.