Hand made neopolitan bowl mandolin made in 1938

[Steve Davis]

Craig's list bowlback

[billkilpatrick]

... there seems to be something inside the bowl ... looks like it might be a map of some sort ... with an "x" ... marked in red!

[brunello97]

I'm not at home with my 'archive' but there was a mandolin up for sale on ebay a couple times by a descendant of the builder, David Porrazzo. I can't remember if this is the same one. (I thought the earlier one looked somewhat nicer.....) I'll check when I get bck home later this pm. Unless someone beats me to it.

Mick

[Jim Garber]

This is the one and the same mandolin sold by the same person. The price was double in August of 2006 and as I recall about $30,000 some time before that both on eBay (a few times) and on craigslist. I had an email conversation with the seller a few times explaining that she would probably not get near that price but that maybe more realistic would be $1500-2000. It does look like a nicely made instrument but possibly might be amazing to play and sound amazing. OTOH that price is the equivalent of a mid- to upper-end model by a fine known Neapolitan maker.

Then again, our friend with the fake 15th century mandora still puts it on eBay and has even raised the price again. Maybe they will eventually get what they are asking.

I assume, Bill, that you were joking about the treaure map.

[Bob A]

If her late husband's grandfather's name was Luigi Embergher I'd spring for the 5K. As it stands, the price is off by an order of magnitude.

[CraigF]

I assume, Bill, that you were joking about the treaure map.

LOL. Yeah, he got me at first. I went back to look at the pic when I "got" the joke. It made it all the funnier.

[brunello97]

Here is a rather nice photo of the maker apparently outside his shop.

Mick

[Jim Garber]

BTW we do have the Bowlbacks of Note thread for all these exciting finds. Keeps our little corner cleaner if you post them on that thread instead of starting new threads for each mandolin we come across.