Re: Hundred-year-old Italian mandolin, need help.
Very curious label, Louis. I have examples from over 350 Italian mandolin luthiers in my files and nothing is a match with yours. Always great to discover something, but this is particularly frustrating as with all the text on the label of yours, it looks as if where the actual name of the luthier is blackened out.
That head break looks pretty bad. Certainly someone could fix it. But the $$ per value ratio may be high. Despite all the fuss on the label, it doesn't appear to be an exceptional quality instrument, though I may be wrong about this as it is an unknown example for me. (Lots of mandolins were made for the export/souvenir trade to the UK, etc.) Unless, for instance, this is a family heirloom and you are intending to learn to play on it....Then, of course, it may be priceless.
Maybe one of the other guys (Jim or Dave, maybe) who have extensive files of Italian makers as well might turn up a match.
Mick
Ever tried, ever failed? No matter. Try again, fail again. Fail better.--Samuel Beckett
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