Need help identifying this mandolin that belonged to my family

[jssauvageau]

Hi,

I receive this mandoline yesterday from my father. It belonged to my grandmother born in 1898. I have no idea of the year and the mandolin is not identified. If you could help me to get an idea of the manufacturing period. I'm trying to find out if it would be worth paying to restore it.

Thanks
Jean-Sebastien

[Seter]

I don't see any major structural issues from those pictures that would entail an expensive restoration, could you post a picture of the back and of the side of the instrument to get a better idea? If the side shows a warped neck, that could make things more complicated. It may just need fresh strings, perhaps bridge/nut work for intonation, and perhaps fret dressing.

[jssauvageau]

I add some new pictures of the back and the neck. I think it will need a more serious job :(

[Seter]

Ah yes the separation at the neck joint is unfortunate.

[MikeEdgerton]

It's very similar to a Chicago made Harmony but I suspect it might have been made in Canada by a builder that did a pretty good job of copying the Harmony. Either way the value would be less than $100.00 US in this condition. Repaired it wouldn't be worth a whole lot more. Are there any numbers stamped inside? You might need to shine a flashlight in there. The value is in the fact that it belonged to your family. That same instrument was made by Harmony from around 1920 well into the 60's. I'd put that one as being somewhere between 1920 and 1930.

[NickR]

The position of the dots suggests circa 1930 while the style of the build is one that faded away in the 1920s while in the 1930s that marquetry also disappeared. I reckon that Mike Edgerton is correct that it is from Harmony unless it is a Harmony knock off. My own dictum that three screws in the tuner plates means Harmony for most of the time would hold good on this instrument as well.

[jssauvageau]

Thank you very much for the information :)