Anyone have any info on this Mandolin

[Cole]

I have an Antique mando I bought in a pawn shop 5 years ago and can't find any info on the internet. Curious about its history and if I need to insure it. The inside tag reads #Officina De Instrumnetos De Corda De Augusto Vieira.....Registration #1337 with what I beleive to be the production date of 1914....The maker is Marcad frabrica I think..I will gladly email them to someone to look at..This insturment is georgus and although the case and mando have cracks in same place it sounds wonderful playing Bluegrass
Cole

[Cole]

Here is another pic

[Fred's Mobile Homes]

I can not tell you about the maker, but what you have is a Portuguese style mandolin. The unusual tuners are commonly found on Portuguese instruments

[Cole]

Thanks! Finally I am getting closer to its secret, makes it all the more fun to play!

[Martin Jonas]

Indeed, this is a typical Portuguese mandolin. Last month, there was a very similar-looking instrument from 1916 on Ebay UK, but a mandola not a mandolin, which sold for around £200. Can't find the link now. Nice-looking instrument, and I was very tempted to bid for it. However, there isn't that much mainstream interest in these instruments, so it's probably not particularly valuable for insurance purposes.

Martin

[Jim Garber]

The maker is Marcad frabrica I think..
More likely that the maker is Augusto Vieira. I think that "Marcad frabrica" means maker's mark.

I find the tuning system the most interesting feature of these. I imagine that the mandolin is a hybrid of the Portuguese guitarra which is essentialy a larger version of the mandolin (sort of). You can read more about it here (http://www.tamborileros.com/tradiberia/e_cordfon1.htm).

Below is another Portuguese mandolin with similar tuners. I think that the fretboard is pretty radiussed on these as well (also sim to the guitarra) #and that these eventually made their way over to Brazil.

http://www.tamborileros.com/tradiberia/img_instrum/mandol.jpg

Jim

[Jim Garber]

Here is the big brother, the Portuguese guitarra. This has 12 strings but is similar in construction.

Jim

[Cole]

Thanks everyone for the info, it was good news which I needed after going to work today...lets just say I have a shiner bock beer and playing the blues!

Thanks
Cole

[Jim Garber]

Cole:
I would love to see more and detailed photos of your mandolin.

Jim

[Eugene]

This style tuning machine is amongst the very first to be used on any instrument, appearing in the mid-18th c. on English guittars (another cittern offshoot). #I'd love to see more shots of your mandolin/bandolim too, Cole. #Odd to consider the typically German or Czech things that came to be called "Portuguese" style mandolins.

[Jim Garber]

Any possibility of seeing more pics, or are you having too much fun playing this one, Cole?

Jim