Restoration
- Attach the JPEG images of the accordion to your e-mail with a description of the instrument and serial number. A Hohner representative will respond with the model number. A fee of five euros is required for this service. Use an online resource such as the 'Accordion to Andy' section of the PBase website.
- 1970 Hohner International Model HG-05 Dreadnought Serial Number: 80540 Build Date: 10/70 Made In Japan Overall condition is Very Good showing, scratches, chips, checking etc consistent with being nearly 50 years old but still look great. This is a favorite around the shop as it sounds great and plays even better!
Write the serial number down. Log on to the Internet, and direct your web browser to the Swarovski website, SwarovskiOptik.us. Enter the model information and serial numbers into the search bar at the top of the home page. Wait for technical information to appear on the next screen. This information typically contains the year of manufacture. If you own a vintage Hohner accordion, or are interested in buying or selling one, you’ll no doubt be interested in establishing its precise age and provenance. Since 1930, every accordion which left our factory bears a serial number and we maintain an extensive library, documenting shipping date and destination of every single instrument.
Accordions are built to last. Their sturdy construction is designed to make them reliable companions for decades of playing. But even the finest accordion will begin to show signs of wear and tear after years of use. Reeds may go out of tune, keys can start to stick or the bellows could develop a crack. And if an old instrument has been in storage for a while, it might have gathered dust and require a thorough cleaning.
But don’t give up on your old accordion. The Hohner Service team in Trossingen specializes in restoring vintage Hohner instruments and stocks a wide range of original parts. We will be happy to recondition your beloved accordion and restore it to its former glory. Please use the form below to contact master accordion builder Ralf Trischler and his team, and we will be happy to advise you.
Dating and valuation
Hohner has been building accordions since 1903. That’s a lot of accordions and a lot of history. Fortunately, we’ve kept track. Since 1930, every accordion which left our factory bears a serial number and we maintain an extensive library, documenting shipping date and destination of every single instrument. Sometimes we can even establish the identity of the original purchaser.
If you own a vintage Hohner accordion, or are interested in buying or selling one, you’ll no doubt be interested in establishing its precise age and provenance. If you provide us with the serial number and exact model designation, we will establish the age of your accordion for a fixed fee of €30 / US$35 and send you a certificate to attest this.
The following information was kindly made available to me by Bridgitte Conrad of HohnerMusikinstrumente.(I contacted her at [email protected]).She informed me that the company had little or no information regarding their manufacture of saxophones but she did send me an article on the subject (in German).I have been able to extract some information from the article but have insufficient knowledge of German to be able to decipher it completely, or to identify the source.So far the table of serial numbers seems to check out satisfactorily.
The results together with some other research are summarized below.Please feel free to use whatever information you need for your site.
Hohner “President”Saxophones
Hohner (1857–2007), well known for the manufacture of accordions and harmonicas, manufactured in Trossingen from 1949 to 1972 a range of Hohner “President” badged alto and tenor saxophones under the direction of Max Keilwerth (1898-1968).Other sources set the period of manufacture as 1948 to 1967; however the table below suggests that production in some form or other continued well after Max Kielwerth’s demise.
Much of the early data regarding the Keilwerth brothers Max and Julius (Julius being the elder of the two) is disjointed.Suffice it to say that apart from an indication that Max learnt his early skills within some form of local or ‘cottage’ industry, and subsequently joined at least Franz Than Graslitz/Sudetenland, F.X. HüllerGraslitzer and Amati as well as the Keilwerthcompanie/s.
It appears that Julius, his son Joseph and grandson Gerhart didn’t hold formal craftsmanship papers (Meisterbrief)as didMax.Max Kielwerth commenced at Hohner some time in the 1940’s however there are no records of the production for the factory and the information below is a compilation from various sources; the data supplied by Bridgitte Conrad being main source.
A common feature of the Hohners is the Patented ‘Double Socket’ and knurled screw for attachment of the neck.
Hohner Accordion Website
YearSerial NumberTone HoleStamp
19491SolderedHohner
1950500SolderedHohner
19511000SolderedHohner
19521800SolderedHohner
19532600Flanged/RolledHohner
19543400Flanged/RolledHohner
19554200Flanged/RolledHohner
19565000Flanged/RolledHohner
![Numbers Numbers](/uploads/1/1/7/9/117906709/480003649.jpg)
19576000Flanged/RolledHohner
19587000Flanged/RolledHohner
19598000Flanged/RolledHohner
19609000Flanged/RolledHohner
196110000Flanged/RolledHarmonica Mannequin
196211000Flanged/RolledHarmonica Mannequin
196312000Straight/CutHarmonica Mannequin
196413000Straight/CutHarmonica Mannequin
196513500Straight/CutHarmonica Mannequin
196614000Straight/CutHarmonica Mannequin
196714500Straight/CutHarmonica Mannequin
196814800Straight/CutHarmonica Mannequin
196915200Straight/CutHarmonica Mannequin
197015600Straight/CutHarmonica Mannequin
Hohner Accordion Serial Numbers 222
197115800Straight/CutHarmonica Mannequin
197216000Straight/CutHarmonica Mannequin
Hohner Accordion Models
HohnerMannequin