1978 Kentucky KM1000 Value

[txrenegade]

First of all, I'll introduce myself. My name is Tyson and I have been playing Mandolin for about 10 years now. My main acoustic is a Collings MT and my electric is one of those strange Mandocaster reissues from ebay a few years back. I play professionally and work in a high end music shop in central Texas. I have cruised the forum for a while but just registered.

My step-dad called this morning about a KM1000 he found for sale in the paper. It is a 1 owner mando and was purchased new in 1978. He said there is a small crack in the center seam along the back but nothing even worth fixing. Original everything including case. Serial #8009. Now the ultimate question.... What's it worth? The seller is asking $1000.

[OldGus]

That's what I saw them going for a few years ago. More recently it seems asking prices have gone up a bit. I seen a few with asking prices of around $1700 in great condition. The crack will lower the value a bit even if it doesn't compromise the structural integrity. It could be worth it as is or you might want to talk it down $100. I suggest trying it if you are interested and it close and see what you think. $1700 is more than I would pay but they might occasionally go for that. The asking price is in the right ballpark, I think.

[barrangatan]

That seems like a good price for an early KM1000, which normally fetches more money than the more recent ones. I am a bit unsure about the date of it though. 1978 seems very early, and I thought Saga wasn't making them until the 80s? I would definitely ask the seller how he determined the date (as dating these early Kentuckys is no easy task). He may be just going by the first digit in the serial number.

Good luck, and hope to see some pictures once you have it in your possession.