I have a friend who comes from a musical family, and the other day I got to check out her grandfather's trombone. She swears it's from the 20's, but serial number indicates it likely dates from 1939. Her grandfather was Durward (AKA Durwood) Cline, a bandleader from Dallas who founded Cline music which was later run by his son, Durward Jr. and, I believe, another relative. You can find Cline's Collegians recordings on youTube.

The instrument appears to be in very nice condition, with no obvious dents, a slide which moves well w/o lubrication, and an original case. I didn't get to look it over as well as I would have liked as she's a very emotional type and was getting worked up over looking at it. There's a good chance it could be coming my way someday.

Observations and opinions welcome.

lucky you.