I remember when a mint issue of Action Comics #1 sold for $2800 in the 1970's. Everybody thought it was ridiculous that a 10 cent comic could sell for that price. When one sold for $30,000 some years later, everyone regretted that they didn't get in at $2800, and was sure the market had reached the top. A near mint issue sold in 2011 for $2.16 million. Yeah, things change!
in 1997, they were about $40K. Look in the backs of the old "Mandolin World News" and you can lots of good deals.
I could have bought one in the mid 1980s for about $12,000. So what... Too bad I only had about $3,000 to my name in all my accounts.
Jim
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19th Century Tunes
Playing lately:
1924 Gibson A4 - 2018 Campanella A-5 - 2007 Brentrup A4C - 1915 Frank Merwin Ashley violin - Huss & Dalton DS - 1923 Gibson A2 black snakehead - '83 Flatiron A5-2 - 1939 Gibson L-00 - 1936 Epiphone Deluxe - 1928 Gibson L-5 - ca. 1890s Fairbanks Senator Banjo - ca. 1923 Vega Style M tenor banjo - ca. 1920 Weymann Style 25 Mandolin-Banjo - National RM-1
Coulda, shoulda, woulda. Someone occasionally asks, what mandolins will be the next Lloyd Loars of the future? These things are often never obvious, but I think for the next 100 years, Lloyd Loars will be the next Lloyd Loars. I am not involved in these high level instrument transactions, but I do pay attention. It looks like they have retreated a bit over the last 5 years or so by about 25%. The long term chart will likely prove this to be a good period to buy. The other "obvious" call IMO would be Stephen Gilchrist. He is the undisputed master and while his numbers have eclipsed the number of Loars, there still aren't many and they are truly works of art. In many ways, they even surpass the originals in quality. A Gilchrist F5 is on my bucket list and still somewhat in reach. Of course we are very lucky to have him alive and well and still cranking out mandolins down in Lake Gnotuk and I think history will be kind to him and his creations.
Here is a great read:
http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/sh...ilchrist-story
Sean
I played one at Mandolin Bros in 1984 that was selling for $8000.
Larry Hunsberger
2013 J Bovier A5 Special w/ToneGard
D'Addario FW-74 flatwound strings
1909 Weymann&Sons bowlback
1919 Weymann&Sons mandolute
Ibanez PF5
1993 Oriente HO-20 hybrid double bass
3/4 guitar converted to octave mandolin
Orcas Island Tonewoods
Free downloads of my mandolin CDs:
"Mandolin Graffiti"
"Mangler Of Bluegrass"
"Overhead At Darrington"
"Electric Mandolin Graffiti"
Bookmarks