Need Help Identifying This Mandolin

[KCC]

I purchased this mandolin at a garage sale and am looking for some help in identifying it. There are no marks or identifiers anywhere on the body or when I look in the sound hole. I'm not even sure what type of wood it is made of! It is all solid though... no ply. The instrument plays well. The neck is SOLID!

[NickR]

It is most likely a late 1920s Regal. It may just be a Harmony instrument- Harmony made a very similar mandolin. However, from observation, Harmony economized on the screws for the tuners- normally just three while this mandolin has five! It appears to be solid birch all round for the body.

I think this is the same mandolin- sold by B & J. The price is beyond wishful thinking:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Bue...YAAOSwIgNXn4us

Here is the 1920s- not 1930s -the Supertone label dates this to no later than mid-20s Harmony mandolin. It is not an Oscar Schmidt. You can see the three fixing screws rather than five.

https://reverb.com/item/10948190-osc...a-style-1930-s

[MikeEdgerton]

It was probably made by Harmony in Chicago. They made them for decades with a few changes to the headstock shape. They are on eBay weekly in one form or another. All Harmony instruments were solid with very few exceptions up until almost the end in the early 1970's. Your's is probably from the 20's-30's. They made instruments "for the trade" that were sold with private labels or no label at all so that a retailer or teacher could sell them as their own. They also sold them with their own brand name on them. Regal made a very similar mandolin for decades as well. The wood is probably birch but they used some mystery woods as well. It was entry level instrument and they are quite common.

[nmiller]

The body shape, headstock, heel construction and inlay pattern all identify this as a Regal.

[Scott Rucker]

Cool find! I hope you enjoy it.

[KCC]

Regal/Harmony- that makes sense! I live only miles away from the old Regal factory in Chicago and I'm betting that there are hundreds of their instruments in basements throughout Chicagoland.

I'd thought that it was made of birch but didn't want to poison the pot with my assumption.

Thanks to all you experts out there for giving me a hand!

KCC

[KCC]

VERY wishful thinking! Fortunately, mine has all it's parts and is a solid player. Even has all the strings, albeit OLD!

Thanks NickR for the helpful information.

KCC