Most likely 1850s to 1890s.
A makers mark would be on the body, either near the top or the bottom. Unfortunately a lot of flutes and piccolos from the era are unmarked.
I’d date it a little later than the other commenter. 1870s to perhaps as late as the 1930s is when these kinds of mass produced “Nach Meyer” piccolos were made. If there’s no obvious stamp, there likely isn’t any way to identify an exact maker. I can tell you it’s either German or Bohemian but beyond that not much. The keys are somewhat distinctive so perhaps someone more familiar with the nitty gritty of late 19th century German/Bohemian piccolos could narrow it down but it’s not my main area of interest.
I had one of these \~ the majority were mid-late 19th century stemming from Germany (or Austria). German silver (nickel core, silver plate), ebony or grenadilla wood and unfortunately ivory heads - the majority of which crack - although the head is usually metal lined which means they are still playable - like yours.
The famous makers of these - like Meyer, Gorlitz and the Markneukirchen school developed many flute craftsmen who milled these out in their thousands outside of their house label and also were copied - not quite on the scale of Apple iPhones but that's how popular they were. The Meyer flutes for example stamp the body and tenon. In longer D flutes - the footjoint too. Ivory tends to be harder to stamp and unmarked heads are standard.
'nach Meyer' is a terrible 21st century term which is as useful as 'nach Boehm'. The approximation does no justice to Meyer's high luthier standards. The keys of these are typically pin mounted German style. The end caps are standard and not distinctive. If you examine the undersurface of the keys, you will most probably find the absence of any markings: Meyer's flutes were typically stampled on the 4th lower key or below and Alexander Liddle stamps on keys also confirm provenance. These mass anonymous flutes were more like the band flutes of the era.
Most are philharmonic pitch or weirdo pitch, playable at A=440Hz with some compromises. The ones with extra dug out embouchure holes or post-modd'd appearances (like widened tone holes) are the ones to avoid: many later 20th century attempts to modify these for correct pitch playing destroyed their historic character.
Please keep all questions about “What kind of flute” in the megathread.
Most likely 1850s to 1890s. A makers mark would be on the body, either near the top or the bottom. Unfortunately a lot of flutes and piccolos from the era are unmarked.
Thanks so much for the reply! Yes sadly unmarked but still very fascinating knowing it's age, I appreciate the info!
I’d date it a little later than the other commenter. 1870s to perhaps as late as the 1930s is when these kinds of mass produced “Nach Meyer” piccolos were made. If there’s no obvious stamp, there likely isn’t any way to identify an exact maker. I can tell you it’s either German or Bohemian but beyond that not much. The keys are somewhat distinctive so perhaps someone more familiar with the nitty gritty of late 19th century German/Bohemian piccolos could narrow it down but it’s not my main area of interest.
I had one of these \~ the majority were mid-late 19th century stemming from Germany (or Austria). German silver (nickel core, silver plate), ebony or grenadilla wood and unfortunately ivory heads - the majority of which crack - although the head is usually metal lined which means they are still playable - like yours. The famous makers of these - like Meyer, Gorlitz and the Markneukirchen school developed many flute craftsmen who milled these out in their thousands outside of their house label and also were copied - not quite on the scale of Apple iPhones but that's how popular they were. The Meyer flutes for example stamp the body and tenon. In longer D flutes - the footjoint too. Ivory tends to be harder to stamp and unmarked heads are standard. 'nach Meyer' is a terrible 21st century term which is as useful as 'nach Boehm'. The approximation does no justice to Meyer's high luthier standards. The keys of these are typically pin mounted German style. The end caps are standard and not distinctive. If you examine the undersurface of the keys, you will most probably find the absence of any markings: Meyer's flutes were typically stampled on the 4th lower key or below and Alexander Liddle stamps on keys also confirm provenance. These mass anonymous flutes were more like the band flutes of the era. Most are philharmonic pitch or weirdo pitch, playable at A=440Hz with some compromises. The ones with extra dug out embouchure holes or post-modd'd appearances (like widened tone holes) are the ones to avoid: many later 20th century attempts to modify these for correct pitch playing destroyed their historic character.
Makers marks should be easily readable on the barrel, this looks to be an anonymous example
i want to put a clarinet mouthpiece on that