Old Taterbug. Any Ideas??

[jazzjune18]

Howdy. A kind woman in my neighborhood gifted me an old bowlback that was her grandmas (late 1800’s/turn of the century). According to the woman her grandma played it when she was younger, so 1890s-1910 made sense(?). It has no labeling of any sort. The inside has some sort of black fabric lining. Original bridge, tailpiece and tuners. Anything stand out that would help me identify the origin?? It has 11 strips on the back (plus the bordering wood around the strips. Thanks for your help!

I promised her that i would seek the help of all of us armchair experts on the cafe! ;)

[Jim Garber]

I believe it is an American Conservatory style 502—upper left hand mandolin pictured on this color page from the 1912 Lyon & Healy catalog. American Conservatory was a mid-range line for Lyon & Healy a large music wholesaler and retailer based in Chicago.

[jazzjune18]

Jim. Thanks for this info! It does very much resemble it (and gives me something to start digging into). Off the top of your head any idea of the time span that they built this model? I have reached out to the woman to ask the birthdate of her grandma but haven’t heard back yet.

[Jim Garber]

Pretty much early years of the 20th century. That catalog was from around 1912 or so. By the end of that decade most companies stopped making bowlbacks.