Is there any way to date harmonica reeds?

[MackDigger]

I have found several and have no idea how old they are. Some from very old foundations but there's newer junk mixed in so I'm not sure what era they are from.

 

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[ekeisler]

Harmonicas were invented in the early 1800s so anytime after that. Sorry I'm not a big help.

 

[MackDigger]

Any answer helps, thanks.

 

[curbdiggercarl57]

I dug a weird harmonica once that was mostly intact, and it had a large opening in the top.
Searched a 1902 Sears Roebuck reprint catalog, and found that it was known as a "Harmonophone"
Those old reprint catalogs are great for identifying lots of dug items.
Hope this helps,
Carl

 

[Col.Philo95thNY]

Dating Harmonicas

Good time to get involved with the history on the Harmonica... Start by knowing the inventor, what components, and which metals were used in the reed section. First ones were made of what? Brass, Wood. I'll work with you as a musician, you now have my attention, because I play the sax, which uses the same principle of a reed that vibrates to generate a tone or sound... let's see where this goes, as I have found different parts to harmonicas and noticed that the end rivets are different on every one I dug up, so this may be a clue as to different manufactures of the Harmonicas... I would say that knowing the campanies that made them and the time they were rpoducing them would help as each company may have used different components of metal and wood.

Philo