I purchased a playable, but dirty, flute at the local flea market yesterday. Engravings on the body say E.L. DeFord, Elkhart. The foot joint is a Bb (according to my wife, the flutist in the family) with the number 8412. The head joint has the number 12. The instrument appears to be silver plated. The pads are like new.

Can anyone suggest a way to learn the age of this flute? Also, what is your general impression of the brand? My intentions are to clean the flute and donate it to a middle school student who cannot afford the cost of an instrument.

I paid $40 for the flute and only agreed to that because it was made in Elkhart. Is it worth my time to clean this and make minor repairs? I do not want to give a new student something that will be a bad experience.

Typically the DeFord brand was a sturdy beginner-level flute. Most all of them had a "C" foot section.