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Thread: No manufacturer or serial number

  1. #1

    Default No manufacturer or serial number

    The mandolin belonged to my friends great grandmother. Wondering if we could find out where it came from and how old it is.
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    Last edited by MikeEdgerton; Sep-21-2020 at 9:36pm.

  2. #2
    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: No manufacturer or serial number

    It was built in Chicago, most likely by Regal (although Harmony made a similar model) circa the 1920's. It was built "For the trade" with no label so that a retailer, distributor, teacher, school whatever could sell it as their own. I have a similar mandolin that was owned by my uncle.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
    --M. Stillion

    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
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  3. #3

    Default Re: No manufacturer or serial number

    It may once have had a Supertone label inside- a Sears, Roebuck sold instrument. If it was a Supertone then it would have been a Harmony made mandolin. This was the entry level flat back mandolin style from Supertone- top right in this ad:
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  4. #4
    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: No manufacturer or serial number

    I'm pretty sure it could have been a Harmony even if it never had a Supertone label that fell out and left no residue.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
    --M. Stillion

    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
    --J. Garber

  5. #5

    Default Re: No manufacturer or serial number

    Yes, I am sure you are right about Harmony- even if it never was sold as a Supertone. Harmony mandolins like this somehow just appear to be a bit more chunky than their Regal counterparts at this time. Of course, in the early 1930s, Harmony changed to a new headstock shape that was not the same as the Regal shape- as it is on this mandolin. Once that had happened, it is not an issue to decide which of the two that the maker might be.

  6. #6
    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: No manufacturer or serial number

    What I was looking for with this was a neck with that pronounced V on a labeled mandolin. I couldn't find one. The Harmony transition era from bowlback to these didn't have it either. I couldn't find it on a Regal either. That should be the item that ID's the manufacturer. The Harmony's I found didn't have the extra little flare in on the headstock either but some of the Regal's did, thus my ID as probably Regal (although a similar mandolin was made by Harmony). It's always a judgement call on these when they are early.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
    --M. Stillion

    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
    --J. Garber

  7. #7

    Default Re: No manufacturer or serial number

    This Supertone was made before about 1926- it has the original white label- the first Supertone label style. The seller reckons it is Oscar Schmidt but I think it must be a Harmony made mandolin.

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

  8. #8
    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
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    Default Re: No manufacturer or serial number

    I have this page from a 1935 Grossman catalog. I believe that the "Buckeye" was made by Harmony.

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    Jim

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  9. #9
    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: No manufacturer or serial number

    I'm not so sure about that. There are at least three other manufacturers on that page and I'm not sure Harmony is among them. I suspect but obviously cannot prove that the indented headstock shape on this mandolin and the one in the catalog may be a carry over from the L&H days to Regal. You've got a Kay there, a Strad-O-Lin genre mandolin and what appears to be a straight out Regal in the bottom left hand corner. I wish they showed the back of that mandolin on the page.

    My mistake, at least two straight out Regal mandolins on the page.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
    --M. Stillion

    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
    --J. Garber

  10. #10
    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
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    Default Re: No manufacturer or serial number

    I am not sure but I believe I got that image from the NAMM library and they may have marked it Harmony. I know there are others on that page—that is why I posted the whole page—but that doesn't mean much. We know it isn't a Strad-O-Lin.
    Last edited by Jim Garber; Sep-22-2020 at 12:44pm.
    Jim

    My Stream on Soundcloud
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    Playing lately:
    1924 Gibson A4 - 2018 Campanella A-5 - 2007 Brentrup A4C - 1915 Frank Merwin Ashley violin - Huss & Dalton DS - 1923 Gibson A2 black snakehead - '83 Flatiron A5-2 - 1939 Gibson L-00 - 1936 Epiphone Deluxe - 1928 Gibson L-5 - ca. 1890s Fairbanks Senator Banjo - ca. 1923 Vega Style M tenor banjo - ca. 1920 Weymann Style 25 Mandolin-Banjo - National RM-1

  11. #11

    Default Re: No manufacturer or serial number

    The Buckeye "Leader" appears to have the new shape Harmony headstock adopted in the early 30s. The Buckeye "Special" also has that headstock shape.

  12. #12
    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: No manufacturer or serial number

    Found the headstock shape on a Harmony built instrument. Still can't find the neck or heel shape.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
    --M. Stillion

    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
    --J. Garber

  13. #13

    Default Re: No manufacturer or serial number

    Yes, that's interesting. That Reverb mandolin that the seller has down as an OS I posted has a different heel but more like the original posting's mandolin here has but not the same. The heel, however, does not look like an OS heel. I have seen the heel shape of the mandolin in question on other "mystery" mandolins that have been posted here- it is smaller than the typical size of the Chicago instruments one generally sees. I think this mandolin below is a Harmony instrument. The pickguard intruding on to the left hand side of the top and those tuners were used by Harmony in the late 20s early 30s are why I don't think it is Regal made.

    https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Wonderful...orig_cvip=true

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