Early Benge Purchase Dates

(Chicago, Burbank & Los Angeles)

(updated 1/14/24)

1. When was my Benge made?

Always a slightly tricky question, of course. Although Benge trumpets were always in demand it's
probable that some sat around after being made. With some Chicagos, it's also possible that
Elden Benge played them for awhile being shipping them to a buyer. Paul Williamson's #614 was
purchased new in 1942, but I have a receipt for #747 with a purchase date of 1940. When Benge
repaired #614 in the 1950s he remarked to Paul, "I remember this horn!" It's quite possible that Benge
played the horn with WGN for a period of time before moving on to another newly-made horn.
In the past, estimates have been made by others using a probable rate of manufacture, but the sample
was small. I'm choosing to date the trumpets by their purchase date. I've gathered receipts and oral
history for a number of horns and I'll list only the horns for which I have solid (or fairly solid) data.

A number of years ago, Benge dealer Tom Lovitt listed his sales on the old Benge Nut page. I'm
also listing selected horns from his data, as it's clear that he had a number of Benges available and,
of course, they didn't sell in numerical order.

One other thing that throws off a logical sequence of numbers for the Burbank Benges is the fact that
it took some time before Elden Benge hit his stride. After the 1953 move it took quite a while for him
to get the personnel in place. As he stated in a September 1956 letter to Ron Modell, "Until this year,
I had only screened out one expert helper after having tried the best available but more recently I
have acquired two more men and I can now say that their work is the best I have ever had in my
shop." In October he wrote this to Modell, "My new helper on valve fitting is doing excelent (sic)
and because that has been the bottleneck we have quite a few trumpets almost ready for that work
which means that we should be able to get more trumpets finished during the next three months than
ever before during a like period."

The transition from Chicago to Burbank has gotten less murky: the Engle letter confirms that
Elden Benge was still selling trumpets in June 1953 in Chicago, and a November 1953 letter
from Benge to Earl Quinn regarding #3353 was sent from Burbank.

Click here to return to the Chicago Benge home page.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Chicago (1935-1953)
#500 - 1935
#513 - 1935
#526 - 1936
#614 - 1942
#665 - 1939
#747 - July 1940
#932 - July 1941
#989 - 1942
#2015 - May 1946
#2055 - July 1946
#2067 - July 1946
#2124 - 1946
#2202 - 1946
#2228 - May 1947
#2318 - spring 1948
#2403 - @1949
#2422 - 1949
#2493 - 1949
#2495 - @1948
#2521 - 1948/49
#2532 - December 1947
#2575 - 1949/50
#2593 - 1949
#2595 - 1948
#2600 - 1949
#2727 - January 1950
#2738 - 1950
#2755 - 1949/50
#2821 - @1950
#2836 - @1951
#2847 - 1951/52
#2903 - 1950
#2993 - 1950
#3041 - @1950
#3077 - 1951
#3086 - 1951
#3099 - 1951
#3232 - 1952/53
#3245 - 1952/53
#3254 - 1953
#3289 - 1952
#3317 - June 1953
#3327 - fall 1953
#3345 - 1953

Large Bore Sequence
(trumpets)
#1501 - late 1946
#1532 - 1947
#1578 - 1950
#1598 - 1947/49
#1630 - 1949/50

(cornets)
#1586 - 1953


 

Burbank (1953-1971)
#3353 - November 1953
#3361 - fall 1953
#3362 - January 1954
#3384 - 1953
#3385 - December 1953
#3404 - 1954
#3491 - 1955
#3566 - 1957
#3601 - March 1956
#3735 - September 1956
#3755 - 1956
#3760 - early 1957
#3763 - February 1957
#3781 - 1956
#3909 - August 1957
#3974 - 1957
#3982 - December 1957
#4021 - June 1958
#4064 - 1959
#4070 - 1958
#4095 - June 1959
#4160 - December 1958
#4194 - 1959
#4215 - January 1959
#4274 - @1961
#4285 - @1960
#4294 - 1960
#4369 - July 1960
#4373 - April 1963
#4390 - April 1960
#4472 - November 1960
#4549 - December 1961
#4566 - January 1962
#4578 - 1960
#4586 - early 1961
#4604 - May 1961
#4608 - January 1962
#4668 - January 1962
#4720 - September 1962
#4744 - 1962
#4829 - 1962
#4895 - May 1963
#4899 - October 1963
#5045 - 1963
#5161 - @1962/63
#5162 - 1963
#5163 - September 1963
#5173 - October 1963
#5190 - 1963
#5210 - December 1963
#5320 - 1964
#5326 - @1962
#5425 - October 1964
#5463 - November 1964
#5570 - mid-1963
#5575 - December 1965
#5581 - 1964
#5587 - 1964
#5671 - 1965
#5693 - 1965
#5714 - 1965
#5733 - @1966
#5744 - @1964
#5859 - February 1966
#5976 - 1966
#5987 - @1966
#6033 - 1966 or 1967
#6612 - 1967
#6231 - @1967
#6298 - 1964 or 1965
#6339 - 1967
#6363 - June 1967
#6398 - summer 1966
#6421 - 1966
#6435 - 1967
#6440 - 1967
#6476 - December 1967
#6636 - December 1968
#6704 - 1967/68
#6773 - 1966
#6852 - @1967
#6921 - 1968
#6943 - 1968
#6944 - 1968
#7011 - 1969
#7159 - July 1969
#7162 - summer 1969
#7188 - August 1969
#7233 - September 1969
#7296 - 1969
#7481 - May 1969
#7520 - February 1970
#7530 - February 1970
#7545 - December 1970
#7554 - December 1970
#7576 - 1969
#7610 - 1969
#7640 - 1969
#7659 - 1969
#7718 - 1970
#7721 - 1969
#7758 - 1970
#7814 - 1969/70
#7849 - fall 1973
#7878 - 1969
#7899 - spring 1970
#7956 - May 1971
#7964 - August 1971
#7991 - 1970
#7997 - December 1970
#8014 - 1970
#8096 - July 1971
#8121 - 1970
#8139 - 1970
#8153 - 1969/70
#8246 - July 1971
#8276 - 1970
 

Burbank (1970-71)
(no street address)
#8282 - 1970
#8330 - July 1971

Burbank -
Large Bore Sequence
#1768 - November 1960
#1769 - 1962
#1804 - 1964/1965
#1844 - 1965

Los Angeles (1971-83)
#8406 - 1972
#8425 - 1972
#8448 - late 71/early 72
#8531 - 1972
#8612 - 1973
#8803 - December 1972
#8826 - February 1972
#8853 - 1972
#8890 - 1972
#8921 - 1972
#9010 - 1972
#9048 - July 1972
#9093 - 1971/72
#9145 - 1972
#9164 - fall 1972
#9184 - 1971/72
#9053 - June 1972
#9227 - 1972
#9230 - 1971
#9275 - 1972
#9278 - 1971
#9357 - 1973
#9449 - 1972
#9503 - @1973
#9518 - 1972
#9373 - 1972/73
#9733 - @1975
#9844 - 1973
#9944 - 1974
#9956 - 1973
#10077 - 1972
#10138 - 1972
#10146 - 1972
#10205 - 1973
#10270 - May 1974
#10356 - 1972
#10464 - 1973
#10536 - 1973
#10857 - late 1973
#10958 - 1971/72
#11109 - 1973
#11191 - March 1973
#11271 - 1973/74
#11325 - 1973
#11690 - 1973
#11695 - 1974
#11909 - 1973
#12134 - 1974
#12519 - 1974
#12535 - 1974
#12570 - 1974
#12593 - 1974
#12808 - 1974
#13020 - 1974
#13031 - 1974
#13242 - December 1974
#13282 - 1974
#13524 - summer 1974
#13528 - late 1974
#13560 - late 1974
#13634 - 1974
#13668 - 1974
#13679 - October 1974
#13720 - October 1974
#13857 - 1975
#14082 - July 1976
#14363 - late 1974
#14608 - June 1975
#14630 - spring 1975
#14662 - 1975
#14851 - 1977
#15067 - 1975
#15077 - 1975
#15156 - 1975
#15252 - July 1975
#15257 - summer 1975
#15662 - spring 1975
#15685 - 1975
#15767 - 1975
#15785 - 1975
#15815 - 1975
#15896 - 1975
#15916 - 1976
#16266 - 1975
#16410 - 1974
#16735 - 1975
#16758 - 1976
#16970 - 1976
#17200 - 1975
#17243 - Aug./Sept. 1975
#17330 - 1980
#17368 - @1977
#17475 - 1975/76
#17877 - 1976/77
#17997 - 1975/76
#18017 - spring 1976
#18124 - September 1976
#18311 - June 1976
#18320 - 1976
#18351 - September 1976
#18472 - 1976
#18763 - 1977
#18914 - 1977
#18956 - late 1975
#19004 - 1976
#19014 - spring 1976
#19286 - 1976
#19219 - 1975
#19408 - 1976
#19601 - 1976
#19604 - 1977
#19804 - summer 1976
#19897 - July 1976

#20047 - 1976/77
#20161 - 1976
#20169 - October 1976
#20339 - 1977/78
#20360 - July 1977
#20369 - 1981
#20655 - 1977
#20800 - summer 1977
#20886 - January 1977
#21432 - 1976
#21467 - 1977
#21750 - 1978
#21796 - 1977
#21971 - 1977
#22049 - 1977
#22183 - 1977
#22358 - @1977
#22486 - November 1977
#22925 - 1977
#23339 - 1977
#23435 - 1977
#23622 - 1977
#23677 - 1977
#24215 - August 1977
#24476 - 1978
#24492 - 1978
#24541 - 1978
#24637 - 1979/80
#24729 - December 1977
#24769 - December 1977
#24802 - 1978
#24833 - 1980
#25003 - 1977
#25067 - 1978
#25455 - 1977
#25900 - 1978
#26088 - 1978
#26144 - 1978
#26182 - 1978
#26344 - 1978
#26557 - 1979
#26882 - 1980/81
#27816 - October 1978
#27945 - 1977
#28155 - summer 1979
#28316 - 1978
#28598 - 1979
#28634 - 1979
#28815 - 1979
#29328 - December 1978
#29404 - 1977
#29534 - 1979
#29574 - 1980/81
#29623 - 1979
#29828 - 1980
#29835 - 1979
#29958 - @1980
#30061 - 1979
#30069 - 1979
#30565 - 1981
#30655 - 1979
#30662 - 1979
#30687 - 1979
#30810 - 1979
#31031 - 1980
#31116 - 1978
#31126 - 1978
#31433 - @1979
#31450 - April 1979
#31748 - May 1979
#31765 - @May 1979
#31837 - 1980
#32038 - early 1982
#32246 - @1981
#32275 - 1980
#32495 - 1981
#32592 - 1979
#32865 - June 1981
#33190 - 1980
#34068 - 1980
#34258 - December 1980
#34387 - 1980
#34667 - 1982
#34800 - August 1980
#35050 - 1982
#35397 - 1980
#35679 - 1980
#35704 - @1981
#35979 - 1980
#36326 - 1980/81
#36979 - 1980
#37718 - 1985
#38060 - August 1981
#38094 - summer 1983
#38576 - 1985
#38586 - 1980
#38695 - March 1983
#38733 - Sept. 1981
#39401 - 1982
#39517 - 1982
#40036 - 1982
#40102 - fall 1983
#40298 - 1982
#40348 - 1983
#40368 - January 1982
#40780 - 1982/83
#40787 - 1982
#40956 - 1983
#41114 - 1983
#41274 - 1983
#41425 - 1983
#41431 - early 1982
#41698 - December 1981
#42151 - @1987
#42420 - 1982
#42530 - 1982
#42616 - December 1983
#42997 - spring 1984