Another "Weymann" mandolin!

I would wager big money this is a 1930s Oscar Schmidt in the Sovereign department. The seller does not accept questions but I am assuming it probably has a number on the brace below the sound hole- not embossed on the headstock top edge. Furthermore it does not have recessed tuners. Quote:
"It has no label so made for a jobber or large retailer. I listed this as as a Weymann because that is who made it, like General motors made Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Olds, Cadillac and Pontiac. Weymann made this one."



https://www.ebay.com/itm/Weymann-Man...ndition=4%7C10

Nick, you're likely on it here. I think the Weymann / Schmidt relationship was an overlapping one.

I tracked down the site of the old Weymann place on some Philadelphia Sanborn maps. Clearly large enough to be a place of production...and not a great retail location. Same with the Schmidt complex. I don't doubt that Weymann made their own mandolins for awhile but have long suspected Schmidt made mandolins for them, too, likely with the same (or identical molds) which is a bit different practice for many of the US jobber mandolins.

I don't think the seller's GM analogy entirely fits...for various reasons.

Some day Mike or Jim will write the definitive book on the various PA / NJ / NY mandolin makers, like the useful Washburn and Regal tomes, and sort all this out for us. The history of Schmidt and its relationship with Raphael Ciani is a great story to be told in its own right.

The Sovereign mandolins are real sleepers out there. Still just barely under the radar but muy desirable, I think.

For a long time I had a Weymann mandolute on my wish list, but those giant oversized neckblocks they used just seemed to have caused too many top cracks for me to really want to invest in one. I sure like their looks.

Mick

Mick, thank you for your input. I have an OS Sovereign- a really great instrument and it did not cost very much- and it came in a very good original hard case. Mine has that little plate tacked to the headstock rather than an inlaid Sovereign name. I imagine this mandolin may have had that plate although I cannot see any holes. I agree, the GM analogy does not hold up.