I always enjoy the unusual items that can be found on ebay. Check out this very ornate whistle.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2536796537&category=624&rd=1
Phew! For a moment I thought the infamous etched Copeland was resurfacing for another shot at glory.
Odd. They say its playable. Wonder what key it’s in - and did you notice that the fingerholes appear to be square? That’d feel strange.
I think the mark “RE” means it’s in D. And 11.5 inches is the right length for a D.
I was all set for a blast of Free Jazz- I thought it said ORNETTE’S whistle!!
Must get my eyes tested. 
We’ll know soon enough - I should have it in a week or so. 
Uh, I guess now would be the right time to talk about my finders fee, Chuck ol’ buddy! 
Um, well, I suppose one can always talk about it…
Well, I now have the whistle. I’ve been searching the internet all afternoon and really haven’t learned anything we didn’t already know.
The whistle is conical with fairly ornate stampings in raised relief between the tone hole and the first finger hole The only mark besides the “RE” which boj9 said was a key mark is a faintly stamped “Epose” which does not translate, or perhaps “Depose”. I did find a French toy whistle, possibly by a company named “EC Depose” but couldn’t find anything else on them.
The whistle is heavy tin, rolled and soldered. The mouthpiece is cast in pewter or pot metal and soldered to the barrel. There is no fipple plug, the ‘headpiece’ being a single casting. The whistle is heavy, and heavier at the upper end, as would be expected from it’s construction. The holes are round, uniform in size, and each is circled by a (stamped?) rim. It looks old, there is some wear on both mouthpiece and barrel and minor pitting on the barrel. A few minor and inconsequential dents also adorn the barrel.
Key, as predicted, is D. The whistle is pretty much in tune, very slightly sharp on the bell note but consistent from there. It plays easily through two octaves and somewhat into the third with minor difficulty. There is a certain ‘warmth’ or perhaps solidity to the tone when compared to my modern whistles. Tone is more comparable to an Overton than to the Gen, Sweetone, Parkhurst and Hoover CPVC I compared it with. It’s also loud, louder than any wooden-fippled conical I’ve seen and I’m guessing as loud as a military fife.
Quality definitely seems to be better than a mere toy. I can’t really speculate as to whether it was a civilian or military whistle. Period, based on construction, I estimate to be late nineteenth or very early twentieth century. It certainly has a military ‘feel’ to it, but that’s just a hunch.
Does anyone know about French instruments of the time, particularly military, or about a company named “Depose” or “EC Depose”?
I found this with a Google search for “EC Depose”… it was the only hit returned.
http://www.ewolfs.com/past_auctions/sept_toys/76.html