ID Help Please

[gtomatt]

One of the folks I work with just orphaned this in my office today. A lot of times I shut my office door & play my guitar or uke at lunch so he figured I'd have a use for it/give it a good home.

He's just over 60, and this was his mother's, so I have no idea of an actual age.

Any help identifying it (make/model) or any further info would be greatly appreciated

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[Jim Garber]

I am not 100% sure but the remnants of paper on the fretboard with notes indicated reminds me of ones sold by the Up-to-Date Music Company of Cleveland, Ohio. Here is a photo of one of these. They are beginner's instruments.

[allenhopkins]

Here's my non-expert take: American, early 20th century. The alternating maple-and-rosewood ribs are found on a variety of American bowl-backs; I have a Washburn mandola that's similar. The butterfly motif on the pickguard is also common in American instruments. Not an expensive instrument; the pricier mandolins generally had upwards of 30 ribs in the bowl, and much more decorative inlay. The fact that the previous owner(s) added note values printed on the fingerboard, also implies that it was a learner-level mandolin. I've also seen quite a few instruments with the fluted tailpiece cover.

By doing some Google research on "American bowl-back mandolin" you could probably find examples with similarly-shaped pickguards, which might give a clue as to manufacturer.