Hawkes & Son "Excelsior Class" (<1900)

Manufactured between 1895 and 1900 by the esteemed London firm Hawkes & Son, this B♭ cornet represents the next step in the maker's history, built just as the company expanded its operations at the close of the Victorian era.

When the instrument first arrived, it was coated in decades of dust and grime, though the underlying brass structure was remarkably solid. However, a closer look revealed two major setbacks: a severe crack along the back of the leadpipe—completely hidden from view during ordinary display—and a broken solder joint on the main tuning slide brace.

After a thorough clean-up, it was time to fix those issues. The hidden leadpipe fracture was sealed with teflon tape to make it airtight again, and the broken brace was carefully re-soldered. Thanks to these quick fixes, this beautiful piece of British history looks great again and is even somewhat playable.