✅ SOLVED Harmonica Reed and fragment

[Old Pueblo]

This is a harmonica reed and a piece of the harmonica I found here in AZ sometime back. Can anyone put a date range on this for me?

 

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[creskol]

This is a harmonica reed and a piece of the harmonica I found here in AZ sometime back. Can anyone put a date range on this for me?
View attachment 1459193

I took the liberty of sending your photo to THE "man in the know" when it comes to harmonicas, and here is his reply:

Hi Rob,

I have checked my collection and documentation of harps owned by other collectors without a match. I also browsed images for other characteristics:

1) "EWEL" is likely "Jewel" with a first word such as "Crown", although there is space for about 32 characters on the probable width of the cover plate. There is a vertical bar after "ewel" that looks like it could be a quotation mark.

2) The flourish on the W (or on any character) and the outward tail of the L.

3) Plain italic font of (TRADE M)ARK. and the period after the K are not that common and suggest that declaration of trade marks was fairly new at the time. I recall seeing the period on a harp but can't find the example.

4) Brass cover plate and 3 lobed tab - most frequently found around the turn of the 19th century. Reed plate seems to be rusted (ferrous?) or otherwise badly corroded and the left end seems to have been cut off, as with the cover plate.

5) The holes along the edge of the cover plate are for the passage of sound and air when that strip of brass is folded to prevent crushing of the cover plate - popular in the late 19th century apparently before the edge could be machine-crimped.

A harmonica that is similar in these features to the one you show is pictured below, to get an idea of when it was made, since I'm sure you're looking to determine whether yours might be contemporaneous with the Civil War (I don't think it is). The Schlott Union Jack trademark was registered in 1899 as shown in the snippet from my Trademark database.

 

[Old Pueblo]

Sorry, I didnt get your response sooner. I know its not Civil War since Im in Arizona, where you dont find much Civil War stuff. I was thinking somewhere between 1880 and 1920, or at least was hoping so. Its good to know that it is time period, so thank you very much. I have several other harmonica reeds I intend to post here on Tnet sooner or later, hopefully you can help with those too.