Here's a little more on the history of C.F. Schmidt:
The firm of C.F. Schmidt was established in Berlin ca. 1880. In that
year it was issued German patent #12814 for "improvements to brass
instruments." By 1888, Schmidt opened a second workshop in Weimar and
was later appointed Court maker to the Grand Duchy of Weimar. In 1899,
this workshop merged with the main workshop in Berlin.^
<http://www.rjmartz.com/horns/Schmidt/cfschmidt.html#note5> The shop
continued to produce horns after the First World War since many extant
examples are engraved with Weimar as the place of manufacture with no
reference to Berlin.
The Schmidt wrap was copied by several makers including Rampone-Cazzani,
August Knopf, Richard Wunderlich, Carl Geyer, Lorenzo Sansone,
<http://mysite.verizon.net/vze787q6/windshieldbug/id16.html>King (more
or less) and Conn. In the case of Conn, it's been said that they
imported all the parts from C.F. Schmidt and assembled them in the US to
avoid import duties on completed instruments, simply adding their name.
More recently the design has been used in horns made by S.W. Lewis, Karl
Hill (Kortesmaki), George McCracken, and Yamaha model 863.
A table of the various bell inscriptions with dates can be seen at
http://www.rjmartz.com/horns/Schmidt/cfschmidt.html
Hope this helps clear up some of the confusion.
Richard in Seattle
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