Besson was founded in Paris in 1837 and became central to the British brass-band tradition after its London years and the 1954 Boosey & Hawkes merger.
The record makes room for uncertainty when a precise year is unavailable.
Factory and production era appear alongside the date when supported by a source.
See the source behind a match and what still needs to be confirmed.
The archive currently covers 3 series and 53 dating ranges from 1858 to 2006, compiled from published maker records and reference charts. Coverage grows as new tables are verified.
Serial on the valve section; on London-built instruments also at the bell rim. First identify the tradition from the engraving: “Besson Paris” vs “Besson London / B&H”. The exact spot varies by era and instrument type — the serial number guide walks through the common locations.
Recheck the characters exactly as marked, including any letters and leading zeros. Letter-prefixed numbers often belong to student or non-domestic lines that cannot be dated from the number. Some production periods may simply not be covered yet.