# General Mandolin Topics > Vintage Instruments >  Whats a 1924 Gibson A (entry level model) worth?

## Rick Schmidlin

I played one in great shape foe 2,200 Ca today, nice little fella. Also any owner comments.

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## MikeEdgerton

Would that have been an A Jr? Did it have the snakehead or paddlehead headstock?

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## Rick Schmidlin

It was a A Jr.

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## MikeEdgerton

There was a snakehead AJr for sale here about three years ago for $1400.00 that was pristine that I have been kicking myself for not buying ever since.

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## barney 59

I wouldn't refer to it as an entry level mandolin myself. I've heard A-jr's and A-0's that sounded as good or better than A-4's. You should post a picture because in vintage instruments condition is key. An 80/90 year old instrument in as-new condition is a rare thing indeed and that type of condition will sometimes bring really high prices even for an "entry" level mandolin. The value downgrades from there very rapidly. I would think though that even heavily used but with all it's parts and no catastropic cracks or breaks or cave ins with maybe the normal start of a  back separation and some neck work in it's future it would probably sell for $600 and could rise from there. People like 'em so a snakehead would add value and 1924 is a good year.

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## mrmando

Seems like most of the ones that have come up recently have been in the $1200-1500 range. $2200 Canadian is about $1750 at the current exchange rate; seems a trifle high to me. $600 is far too low, though ... only a complete basket-case snakehead would sell for that amount.

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## MikeEdgerton

2,200.00 Canadian Dollars = 1,764.62 US Dollars.

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## Nate

I have a 1924 Gibson MB-JR in similar great condition with the snakehead headstock. I paid $500. 

Not sure this is really helpful at all, as it's a completely different beast. If it helps, ok. If not, oh well.

My "JR" mandolin-banjo is really well-built and it plays [as meagerly as I can play it] really well.

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## MikeEdgerton

Totally different animal.

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## atetone

Did it have all its' original parts including the pickguard and case?
It seems high to me even with all of the original parts but if it is in really, really good condition then maybe I would buy it.
I suppose it is at a music store so another 12% taxes on top?
Getting pretty pricey.

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## allenhopkins

Bernunzio's current prices run from $1395 for a '29 A, $1450 for a '23 A-Jr., to $2450 for a '20 A-3 white-face.  So $1700-1800 US doesn't seem out of the ballpark, though no real bargain.  As stated above (in pseudo-realtor-speak), "condition, condition, condition."

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## Bill Van Liere

I recently won an 24 Snakehead Jr. on Ebay at $1500, I also lost one at that price earlier. Looks like Kevin Douglas sold one  (24 Jr.) farily quick with a price of $1500.

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## danb

With an original hardcase, pickguard, tailpiece, and tuners $2200-2400 is a fair price. Many of them have modern cases or missing parts (why more Ajrs are missing their pickguards than other models is a mystery to me!). A little binding on the face seems to put you into at least $2800 for a plain "A".

Still a bargain, it's a heck of a lot of a mandolin for that price.

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## Goodin

I recently bought an all original great shape 25 snakehead a-jr for $1685 US.  I thought it was a fair deal.  I have seen the Loar period A's and A-1 Snakeheads for around $3800 which I think is steep...those seem to have sat in inventory for a very long time.  You can't go wrong with an a-jr they have all the tone of the higher ones but for much less.

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## Zigeuner

> With an original hardcase, pickguard, tailpiece, and tuners $2200-2400 is a fair price. Many of them have modern cases or missing parts (why more Ajrs are missing their pickguards than other models is a mystery to me!). A little binding on the face seems to put you into at least $2800 for a plain "A".
> 
> Still a bargain, it's a heck of a lot of a mandolin for that price.


I can't say whether the Ajr's lose their pickguards more than other models. It's possible. 

My A-3 was in my uncle's home in Columbus, Ohio for more than 60 years until he passed away. I guess it's fairly humid there. When I got it, the pickguard had basically dissolved, leaving the braces and clamp in place. I think it has more to do with the ambient atmosphere in which the instrument is stored rather than the particlular model. 

Those pickguards and clamps are as scarce as hens' teeth, too. That's why they sell on eBay for up to $300 or more if complete!

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## barney 59

I think people lose sight of the fact that the price a dealer offers an instrument for and the price that  maybe comes from e-bay or an individual are not equal. A quality dealer is offering a service that goes beyond just selling you an instrument. More than likely it has been checked, repaired and set up by a qualified luthier. Besides it's a cool place to hang out. If you were to get it home and discovered that something about the instrument is not correct or as stated at the time of sale the dealer can and, at least with the good guys, will make an effort to correct it. They also have the resources to do that. If there is a financial loss to the dealer he can make it up over time.  If Bernunzio or Mandolin Bros.etc. is offering a mandolin at a particular price the price an individual might get for a similar item in a face to face transaction should be less. In an online auction--- alot less. I recently got a hankering for an A4. I found 5 (-In about an hour.)  Mandolin Brothers had one for $2500,Amazing Grace,Schoenberg,Tall Toad and a guy in Kentucky that deals in alot of mandolins and in an uncanny way they were all $2500. 3 of them I could put my hands on and did - they were all coming from reputable sellers with brick and mortar stores with addresses. Why would I pay anything close to that on e-bay with all the risks involved. I've also found that from a dealer sometimes the sticker price is not always the price . In a face to face transaction with an individual I guess it depends on who they are and the item. The problem of course that in looking at the A4's there was this Collings that jaded me forever, which is a risk you take by walking into a room full of instruments. 
   I don't know if it's humidity or air or lack of air or heat that causes the pick guards to oxidize. I believe that they are some type of celluloid -sort of a pre-plastic. Sometimes you find them and they are perfect and other times they look like they've come through a fire. I suspect too much heat in a closed case up in the attic  for a very long time is the cause. The stuff burns great by the way!

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## 8ch(pl)

There is a flat backed Gibson, with paddle head and F holes from about 1934 for sale locally.  I played it and heard it played and it sounded Ghastly.  I think it was an A-Jr.  It was listed for $2500 Canadian.  I usually like Gibsons from this time, but not that one.

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## danb

Sometimes there are deals on Ajrs, but usually a snakehead with all original parts present and a case won't go below $2k. You get a heck of a great mandolin for that price, far superior just about anything new until you get nearly twice the price

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## j. condino

I'm pretty fond of a 20s era snakehead, especially the simpler unbound models. I generally always figure that anything on ebay is going to need a bit of work at best, and regularly a lot of work unless it is from a known and reputable seller. My main concern with them is that I can't go over it with a black light and see what sort of substandard repair history has been done to it. Generally, if it is in great condition and setup well, there is no reason to have to bring it to auction to get a good sale.

I bought one of those great deal "snakeheads" off ebay for a few years ago that was missing the label and had no headstock logo. After it arrived, I was able to see that it had a 1914 body serial number stamped on the block with a newer non-original neck grafted to it.  I was never able to set the deal straight with the seller. After it was all said and done, and my headache subsided, I wound up parting out all the fittings- tailpiece with cover, bridge, pickguard and bracket, tuning machines, and original case and then selling the body with full disclosure of what I knew it to be. The end result  was  six weeks of anticipation turned into frustration and then being about $250 short when everything was finished. Someone out there may be bidding on it right now....

On the other side, I've bought about seven vintage Kay basses off ebay in the last year with good results; hard to fake one of those big boys...

j.
www.condino.com

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## mandolinbill1949

between 1 and 3 thousand depending on the year style and condition.

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## bflat

Charles Johnson at Mandolin World has several and knows the market I would say.

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## Kokomo Jim

I recently purchased a MB junior, No. 8023-45. I read your blog about your MB junior No. 8023-15. From what I read the mandolins were produced in the same batch. Reply and I will post pics soon. Kokomo Jim

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## allenhopkins

Paddlehead A-Jr (mandolin, not MB mandolin-banjo) now $1250 at Bernunzio's "mini-sale": *link.*

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## MikeEdgerton

There's one in the classifieds here today for $1000.00 that Jim Garber has for sale.

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## Goodin

> Paddlehead A-Jr (mandolin, not MB mandolin-banjo) now $1250 at Bernunzio's "mini-sale": *link.*


Looks like the top may have been over sprayed and there is a crack in the back of the headstock.  This is still a fair price I think.

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## Bill Van Liere

Here's one at Gruhns for ya:

MF7675 Gibson A Jr. (More photos...) , 1924, structurally fine but significant playing wear, narrow "snakehead" peghead, no pickguard, OHC......$2250

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## Goodin

Seems high for not having the pick guard but it does have the original case.  In my experience the ones that have had the devil played out of em sound the best.

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## mandroid

No complaints on my 2 mere paddle-heads  , but bidding more certainly raises the price ..

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