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zeebington
Oct-22-2006, 5:13am
I work at a thrift shop, and we recently got a donation of a really beautiful (and well loved) mandolin... it looks like it should be quite quite old, and the label says "B&J New York Victoria

...We have no idea how to price it, any suggestions?

MandoSquirrel
Oct-22-2006, 1:15pm
If it's anything like mine, these are nice little "Parlor music" type instruments, not really powerful, but "Sweet'. There is at least one other thread about them; not sure about price, but if it's in good shape, I'd think it should be worth $200-500. Of course, I could be wrong.

Bill Snyder
Oct-22-2006, 5:32pm
Is a picture available?

Jim Garber
Oct-22-2006, 9:59pm
Is it a flatback or a bowlback? Ornamentation and condition will affect the value as well. Post a picture to help us out.

B&J was Buegeleisen and Jacobson who, I believe, were mostly distributors. The instruments were prob made by the various jobbers in the NY area.

Jim

8ch(pl)
Oct-23-2006, 5:29am
B&J still exists, I believe they distribute sheet music. Victoria was one of their model names.

MandoSquirrel
Oct-23-2006, 4:16pm
Mine, and all I recall seeing pictures of, has a Flat back, though the body shape looks like a bowl back type of oval. There is another thread here where someone posted a picture of one in a guitar shape.
I'm assuming the one in this thread probably is like mine, but we don't know until zeebington posts again.

Jim Garber
Oct-23-2006, 8:55pm
Here is a moderately ornate B&J Victoria bowlback. The pickguard shape resembles those under the C. Bruno label as well so they may have been made by the same maker.

Jim

brunello97
Oct-23-2006, 9:36pm
Jim,

I have an "A Galiano" bowlback with the same symmetrical pickguard-with a different inlay pattern quite like the pair of Brunos recently passing through the Ebay-one touted as a Martin. From another thread I've come to understand that the Galiano line was at least for awhile made by Oscar Schmidt. On this Galiano, the headstock shape is identical to that often seen on L+H bowlbacks. Any links between Bruno, B+J, Schmidt and L+H that you can divine? (That is a pretty tangled web.)

Mick

BTW, finally got the Galiano strung up after almost a year awaiting repair. It sounds quite fair, with nice volume and tone.

Jim Garber
Oct-24-2006, 10:30am
You can add Raphael Ciani (uncle of John D'Angelico) to the mix as well. I have one bowlback with both Galiano and Ciani's names on the label and have seen quite a few others.

Jim

MandoSquirrel
Oct-24-2006, 8:12pm
Here is a moderately ornate B&J Victoria bowlback. The pickguard shape resembles those under the C. Bruno label as well so they may have been made by the same maker.

Jim
Yeah, I remember learning somewhere/somewhen that Bruno was connected, I'm sure it was in frets, but no idea what year of compilation to look in, maybe I should add that research project to my "one of these days" list.