Please help identifing this mandolin - Thanks Antonio

[Jim Garber]

According to Mike Holmes, here are the dates for SS Stewart and Bauer toegether and separate business entities:

Bauer, George Philadelphia, PA 1894-1911
Stewart, Samuel S. Philadelphia, PA 1879-1898
Stewart & Bauer Philadelphia, PA 1898-1904

[atetone]

I have been looking hard at the inlay work.
It is very unusual,
Instead of being light and delicate like most inlays of this time it is very blunt and heavy.
The more I stared at it trying to put a description to the style of it,,, what popped into my head was that it is very "Germanic"
Then a few minutes later it popped into my head that Bauer is a Germanic name.
I dont know if that is a clue about a connection but it is interesting.
Something to ponder.

[atetone]

Now I have been studying the carving on the heel.
Definitely not in an Italian style.
I wish I was an expert in historical carving symbolism, but I am not.
I will hazard a guess that it is a symbolism of something like a coat of arms or something like that.
Again it looks very much like it could be something with a German influence.

I think this was a German influenced mandolin which might make some sense if this mandolin is attributed to Bauer.
Maybe,, ?