Rare Gibson mandolin 1911

[xhonxhon3x]

Hello everyone .I have a old original Gibson mandolin 1911. Today i browsed in internet for this kind of mandolin and i did not find another Gibson mandolin 1911 like mine. I dont know much for the mandolin industry but what i find is that the Gibson mandolin 1911 it is rare . I need your help here to find what value does it have . If the mandolin is very rare and the price is high maybe i can sell

[xhonxhon3x]

Hello everyone .I have a old original Gibson mandolin 1911. Today i browsed in internet for this kind of mandolin and i did not find another Gibson mandolin 1911 like mine. I dont know much for the mandolin industry but what i find is that the Gibson mandolin 1911 it is rare . I need your help here to find what value does it have . If the mandolin is very rare and the price is high maybe i can sell

[Charles E.]

Welcome to the Cafe. Early Gibsons are not that rare and value depends on condition. Posting some photo's will help a lot to get answers to your questions.

[xhonxhon3x]

I will post some photo now

[Charles E.]

Welcome to the Cafe. Early Gibson mandolins are not that rare. Value depends on condition so posting some clear photo's of the instrument would go a long way to help answer your questions.

[Charles E.]

Perhaps the moderators will blend your two posts into one.

[xhonxhon3x]

I edit my post here .You can see the picture of the mandolin

[Mandolin Cafe]

Two discussions have been merged. Not necessary to create multiple posts for the same topic. Also, from our posting guidelines, this space is not to be used as a point of selling. Fine to discuss values but any use of this space to sell the instrument will result in the topic being closed and possibly removed or edited.

From the posting guidelines:

Refrain from using the forum as a point of purchasing or selling items or for the purpose of discussing or linking to items you are selling. Please limit selling and buying activities to the Classifieds section of this web site or other external locations.

[Charles E.]

Looks to be an A-2 from the teens, fairly common. The 1911 Pat. date you see on the pick guard clamp is for the patent date of the clamp.
Others can advise you on the dating of the serial number on the label and look to see if there is a number stamped on the neck block. That will help in establishing a date of manufacture.

[xhonxhon3x]

PAT 1911 is not the date of production ? The serial number does not appear clear but looks like 3225

[xhonxhon3x]

Here they say are also instruments without identifications. https://www.guitarinsite.nl/serienummers-gibson_eng.php

[xhonxhon3x]

This is a clear picture .There is no serial number

[rcc56]

This is a Gibson A-1 made somewhere around 1917. While these mandolins may be scarce where you live, they are quite common in the US. They made many thousands of them. Yours is in need of repair-- it is missing one fret, and the plastic "binding" attached to the fret board is loose. It is otherwise in moderate condition, neither very bad nor very good. The metal tailpiece cover is a replacement.

Similar instruments might bring $1000 or perhaps a little more in the US if repairs have been executed.

This forum does not allow the selling of instruments. My suggestion to you is to have the fret replaced, the binding glued, and to have the instrument checked for loose glue joints because of its age. If there is not someone experienced with mandolins in your area, a good violin maker or repairman can do the work. Then, if you wish to sell it, you can post it in the Mandolin Café classifieds, or on a website such as reverb.com, or consign it with a shop that routinely sells "vintage" instruments.

If you let us know what area you are located in, we might be able to help you find a repairman or a shop that carries old instruments.

[xhonxhon3x]

This is a Gibson A-1 made somewhere around 1917. While these mandolins may be scarce where you live, they are quite common in the US. They made many thousands of them. Yours is in need of repair-- it is missing one fret, and the plastic "binding" attached to the fret board is loose. It is otherwise in moderate condition, neither very bad nor very good. The metal tailpiece cover is a replacement.

Similar instruments might bring $1000 or perhaps a little more in the US if repairs have been executed.

This forum does not allow the selling of instruments. My suggestion to you is to have the fret replaced, the binding glued, and to have the instrument checked for loose glue joints because of its age. If there is not someone experienced with mandolins in your area, a good violin maker or repairman can do the work. Then, if you wish to sell it, you can post it in the Mandolin Café classifieds, or on a website such as reverb.com, or consign it with a shop that routinely sells "vintage" instruments.

If you let us know what area you are located in, we might be able to help you find a repairman or a shop that carries old instruments.

Mandolin is from 1909-1911 .I live in Albania.

[Hockey Puck]

Fix it and play it - then you will realize it's true value!

[rcc56]

Jaroslav Prucha en.pruchabanjos.cz or Jiri Lebeda www.mandolins.net/lebeda/lebedamandolins.html are the closest people I know of to you who might be able to help you. They are both in the Czech Republic. You could also try Trevor Moyle in the UK at www.theacousticmusicco.co.uk/. Trevor Moyle regularly handles these old Gibson mandolins.

If there is a violin shop near you, that might be the easiest way to go. I see that Albania is not an EU member, so I don't know how that would affect you if you were to ship or carry the instrument out of the country.

Most of us who know these instruments well would date it closer to 1916 or 1917 because of the particular shape and style of the pickguard, the bridge, and the style of the tuner shafts. But it really doesn't matter much. The value would be the same whether it was made in 1911 or 1917.

[Ray(T)]

Albania is a long way from either the Czech Republic or Trevor in the UK! I’m not sure how rare Gibson mandolins are in Albania but it’s value will depend on local circumstances (i.e. Gibson mandolins are worth relatively more in the UK than in the US because they aren’t as common.).

If you would like an accurate date (i) try reading the serial number under a strong light from different angles - they were written in pencil, tend to fade and lighting is important and (ii) have a look inside, up by the neck block, there should be a “Factory Ordr Number” which will tell us when agibson started building it.

[Jeff Mando]

$1000 bucks could easily be three or four months pay in Albania, FWIW......

[Tom C]

A teens mandolin for sure. It Doesn't really matter year as they all are the same. Before 1910 I believe, they had an inlayed pick guard. In nice playing condition, Id say $1000-$1200. As is probably $700. If all frets need to be replaced, that will be at least $300 by a competent luthier. -maybe more but there are less frets on this scale mando.

[Charles E.]

From the photo of the pickguard clamp it appears that the back was reglued with some sort of white glue. Not sure if that would affect the value or not.

[colorado_al]

Original case will add $100-$200 in value, if in good condition. I'd get it repaired and play it.

[fatt-dad]

Also, do you have the original case? If the case is in good shape, that helps the value too!

I love my old Gibson mandolin!

f-d

[mrmando]

Reasons to start pulling frets might include that the top has sunk or the neck is out of alignment.

Bulgaria or Greece, or even Italy, would be a lot closer. I have a Facebook friend who's a member of a Bulgarian mandolin quartet, and I know there are several mandolin builders in Greece, although I don't have any specific names.

[Br1ck]

One should be mindful of value relative to ability to pay. Heed the monthly salary statement above. One can only get what someone can give. What someone can sell a mandolin for in New York City would have no bearing really, on what you can sell one for else ware.

[Tom C]

One should be mindful of value relative to ability to pay. Heed the monthly salary statement above. One can only get what someone can give. What someone can sell a mandolin for in New York City would have no bearing really, on what you can sell one for else ware.

Just trying to give a ballpark figure. It doesnt matter if you live in NYC or Montana, that is a $1000-$1200 mando in the US, using US currency. That monthy statement wasnt even by the OP. Of course it may only be worth 12 widgets in widgetland.