It's
a bear!
My email is john@itsabear.com
Frequently Ask Questions
What's
with the name "It's a bear!"?
The slogan and the trombone-playing bear both appear in the 1927 Olds
catalog. Although "It's a bear!" seems to have been dropped after only
a short time, the bear itself remained in use until at least the late
1930's.
Where did you find that
cool bear
logo?
It's from the label on the bottom of an Olds Allfibre mute. I'd guess
that it's from the late 1920's (prior to the introduction of Olds
trumpets and cornets). Given that Marion Vale Olds (Reg Olds' wife) had
been the art editor of the campus humor magazine (Wampus) while at
the University of
Southern California, I like to think that the little guy is her
work. He shows up in catalogs, engraved on bells, and even in 3-D as a
trombone counterweight.
Do you play all of these
horns?
I try to give each of them a little exercise from time to time.
You mention a lot of
different
documents that are other peoples' sites; why don't you have a copy here?
I try to avoid using other content from other peoples' sites; that way,
I never have to worry about someone asking me to take it down.
How accurate are the dates
mentioned on
this site?
That depends. Some are very accurate, others are rough estimates, and a
lot fall somewhere in between. I try to always make it clear when a
date isn't entirely certain.
Do you buy horns?
Yes. I'm always looking to add to my collection, but horn needs to be
something very special for me to be interested in it. I also buy
Olds-related documents (catalogs, price lists, advertisments, and the
like).
Do you sell horns?
Nope. I'm a collector, not a dealer, so I seldom have anything to sell.
If the
occasion ever does arise, I'll probably consign the horn with Ferguson
Music or BrassArk and post
a link here.
What's
my
horn
worth?
Sorry, I'm not qualified to do appraisals. The best I can offer is to
suggest that you check the completed listings on eBay.
Do
you do anything other than trombones?
I have some interest in pre-WWII Olds French horns (my wife is a horn
player). I pretty much
leave the rest alone.
Do you do any other makes?
Yes; since they're closely related to Olds, I'm also interested in
Williams (including Williams & Wallace) and Earl Strickler. I
don't
really collect those makes; Williams horns tend to be very expensive
and Strickler horns are extremely rare.