Lyon & Healey - Trying to get information on Mandolin

[bcastelli55]

Hi All
I just acquired an L&H bowl back mandolin, and trying to identify how old it might be and it's appx value. I've attached several pics to show some detail, including what i think might be a s/n. Hard to see numbers but i believe its 217018 or 0. It'din pretty good shape. Only issue is the fret board edge pieces (one had to be glued back on the last couple inches, and the other is missing a piece between headstock and 1st fret.
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks Much

[nmiller]

The Washburn book places mandolin serials in the mid 190000s in 1905 and in the low 230000s around 1907, so assuming L&H used the same serial scheme for this mandolin, it would be around 1906-7. That certainly looks plausible.

[MikeEdgerton]

Now for that App Value. Bowlback mandolins are the most underpriced (and under appreciated) of the instruments in the vintage instrument market. Even though it would cost a fortune to build one of the same quality they fail to sell weekly on eBay. Do a happy dance if you can get anywhere near $200.00 for it. Lyon and Healy made a ton of mandolins.

By the way, the listings with the price in green sold. The amounts in black failed to sell.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw...pg=50&_fosrp=1

[bcastelli55]

Thanks nmiller. So that makes this babe almost as old as the house I'm living in (1903) at the Jersey shore Interestingly enough, you being from CT, that is where I got this mandolin from - Ridgefield CT. Was cleaning out a relatives apt that had recently passed. I was returning a table to a close friend of his, and she had it in her garage. When I saw it, I thought it was just a cool, beautiful piece of instrument, (being a guitar player) found it of interest. She basically said "take it", as she had to do some clean up of her own and was glad to give it to me. Appreciate the research.

[bcastelli55]

Thank you Mike. Not really looking to sell, was just wondering if I should treat it with "reallllly kid gloves" or just clean it up and enjoy it. I've fiddled around in the past with more modern mando's, as I used to work in a music shop (many many years ago). So I can just enjoy messing around with it after a little bit of serious clean up. It is a nice looking piece, so just going to enjoy having it. Thanks Again for the info

[MikeEdgerton]

Use light strings and play the heck out of it.

[brunello97]

+1 on Mike's recommendation for light strings. Or preferably extra light. Anything heavier will likely damage the instrument.
Trust us.
The action looks quite good on this, so it should make for a nice player. As said above, L+H made boatloads of bowlback mandolins in this era, typically of good, if not exceptional quality.
I can't get over the quality of the rosewood they deployed though. Even on their more modest mandolins it is simply gorgeous. Lickable, even.
If you're going to cut down a Rain Forest, at least it turn it into something enjoyable a hundred years later.

Mick

[allenhopkins]

Pleijsier's Washburn Prewar Instrument Styles shows the "Made by Lyon & Healy" stamp, with part of the "O" in "Lyon" missing, on p. 110, but the book doesn't give any more detail about when the stamp was used.