The original confiuration of Horn-u-copia was the Forum. From 1983 onwards, you may calculate the date of manufacture by adding 50 to the two digit prefix of the serial number. I inquired as to where they were getting thatinformation (only wishing to provide web space for it), they answeredvaguely and then discontinued the practice entirely withoutexplanation. And worse yet, so very few Couesnon instruments are in thehands of the original owners that attempting to establish a data baseof serial numbers and date of manufacture (as has been successfullydone with Benge trumpets) is impossible.For a while one major retailer of used instruments used to attachdates of manufacture on the Couesnons they were selling based on theserial numbers. There seems to be no key or patternto them. I've triedover a number of years to see if anybody in the US or France has thisinformation, or any key to the odd numbers that are found stamped allover some Couesnon instruments. This question arises all the timeand there appears simply to be no information available. The fire resulted in loss of all the company records, includingthose which would make it possible to determine the year ofmanufacture from the serial number. In 1978, the contract with Gretchto import Couesnon instruments to the United States was terminatedand new Couesnon instruments have been very rare in the US since thattime. Factories were sold off andin 1969 the main factory in Château Thierry was badly damagedby fire, destroying the archives. However, as sales declined, theprofits dwindled and the losses mounted. According to Richard Dundas, sixty percent of theproduction was exported throughout the world with as much thirtypercent sold in the United States. Unfortunately, these efforts proved ultimatelyineffective, and their traditional market continued to decrease inpopularity to the point that brass bands have almost all disappearedin France. Forexample, they employed Mr Bernard Soustrot (first prize in the 1976Maurice André Competition in Paris) to try all the piccolostrumpets made in the workshop and to give his 'blessing' to these newinstruments. They made aline called 'Monopole Conservatoire' higher quality instruments,trying to gain more customers in conservatory (music students).
The public continued to associateCouesnon with the brass band not the orchestral or jazz band.Starting in the 60 's and during the next 20 years, Couesnon tried toexpand its share in markets other than fanfare bands. The C/Bb trumpet marketbecame dominated by Selmer, Courtois, LeBlanc in France and even thelarger American manufacturers. At the end of World War II, the music business started to change,but Couesnon continued to deal primarily with the special needs andinstruments of brass and military bands.
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