Re: Calace Mandolin 1892 help needed
That is a beautiful Calace.
There would have been a construction joint in the neck at that approximate location, where the headstock is connected to the neck proper. Often the veneer covering of the neck would hide this joint line. Not sure what the situation is here. I wouldn't expect that the neck would be veneered in tortoise shell....
I'm not suggesting that there was actually a broken-neck repair, but it is hard to imagine that the veneer itself (whatever it is) would crack along that line. It would be wise to have a luthier experienced in working on Italian mandolins have a look.
Our good friend, John Maddock, is a superb luthier and restorer of Italian mandolins. He is a bit south of you in Tavistock but would be on any short-list of folks to contact in the UK.
Any evaluation would clearly be based on the confirmed condition of the neck. I'll toss a number out there and see who might respond-and up my ante. This is an early mandolin from the Fratelli Calace before the split apart. In stable, playable condition $4-4.5K. (I look forward to mo'better estimates from others.) They are mad about these Calaces in Japan so the value there might be higher.
Mick
Ever tried, ever failed? No matter. Try again, fail again. Fail better.--Samuel Beckett
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