Charity Shop Donation Help

[Mfoxen]

Hello

A mandolin recently got donated to a charity shop that I work at and was interested in finding out a bit about it if possible?

Thanks in advance!

[Southern Man]

It's a neopolitan (Naples, Italy) mandolin from 1906. Maker is Giovanni de Meglio.

My google skills are showing that these, in good condition, have sold recently for around $300 (and then down from that based on condition).

Here are a few previous mandolin cafe threads about de Meglio bowlbacks:

https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/t...iovanni+meglio

https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/t...iovanni+meglio

https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/t...iovanni+meglio

https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/t...iovanni+meglio

[Jim Garber]

Those threads should get you lots of info. It looks to be in decent shape with the exception of a piece of the tulipwood border.

DeMeglio mandolins have labels that say they were made in Italy, which I am sure they were, but a majority of the ones I have seen appear for sale in the UK and date from around the turn of the last century.

I assume that Mfoxen is in the UK?

[Mfoxen]

That's great thank you so much, I will definitely have a read through the threads

- - - Updated - - -

Yes I am in the UK

[NickR]

As Jim has mentioned these mandolins were sold in the UK. They are relatively commonplace and here is the UK eBay tally of recent auctions. I used to advise a charity shop on their instruments and some would be placed on eBay but those that were deemed to be of little value were sold in the shop. Often, they were a simple repair to a guitar but they still would not sell- I mended a few for them and bought two as they were going to be chucked-quite reasonable classical guitars, easy to fix that I will give to those aspiring to learn. Your mandolin appears to be in quite good order but that would only be properly ascertained once it was inspected by somebody with a reasonable knowledge of bowlback mandolins:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_f...&LH_Complete=1