One of the best known features of the Conn New Wonder “Transitional” horns is an elaborate, art-deco-style engraving. For Conn’s gold-plated horns, though, this was turned up to eleven.
“Transitional” refers to the period between roughly 1930 and 1935 where Conn was making a variety of key and bore changes. The era ended when the tenor gained single-side bell keys, at approximately serial number 262500.
The other very obvious thing to see is an evolution from the New Wonder-style engraving, through the “Transitional”-style engraving to the “Naked Lady” engraving found on the next Conn models (Standard/Artist).
Note that even the “Transitional”-engraved horns shown above have slightly different engraving. I’m sure there was a degree of customization with all “Transitional”-engraved, gold-plated horns.
