Help IDing old bowlback mandolin

Hi there! I have this old bowlback mandolin, inherited from my great aunt though I believe it belonged to my great grandfather, and I don't know how to identify it or if making a positive ID is even possible. I know with these old mandolins they tend to be missing any identifying marks, though this one has what looks like a serial number stamped into the wood on top of the headstock.

I'm not sure if it might help to know my great grandfather came to NYC from Sicily in 1920 and probably either bought or was given this mandolin sometime after that. I certainly don't think he brought it over with him.

I love the tuning pegs; they have this beautiful kind of grain or pattern in them, and I don't know what they're made of. Maybe ivory, like the inlay and binding?

Doing research online, I was able to find two mandolins that have some of the same parts as this one. I found the same pick guard here: https://jakewildwood.blogspot.com/20...dolin.html?m=1
and what appears to be the same tailpiece here: https://copblock.org/items/Vintage-W...489245678.html

If anybody has any idea of when and where it was made, what materials were used, or really any info at all, I would greatly appreciate your input. Thank you!

(Sorry, I know the pics aren't the best)
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Looks like US-made instrument to me. I am not the expert in US-made ones, so hopefully other members will give you more info.

Not an expert, but --

The instrument does look US-made. The tailpiece seems to be an engraved variant of the common "cloud" tailpiece found on many American-made instruments. Lyon & Healy, large Chicago manufacturer, stamped serial numbers into the top of the headstocks of their Washburn series instruments in the mid-to-late 1890's. I'm not saying this is a Washburn, since those instruments were also clearly labeled inside the bowl, but it could be L & H made.

As to the tuner buttons, I suspect "grained Ivoroid," a celluloid plastic used to mimic ivory in instrument bindings and tuners.

The closest thing I could find to the headstock profile was a catalog shot of a Perfacktone flat-back instrument, made by Regal, from 1928. Only benefit of this is to show that Regal did make instruments with a similar headstock shape, but I couldn't find a c.1900 Regal bowl-back depicted with that headstock.

I'm sure other, more qualified bowl-backers will chime in.

Off the top of my head I would say it was made by Weymann of Philadelphia. They used that shape pickguard. I can check my computer files for similar ones. Probably made near the beginning of the 20th century.

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whoops well.... I didn’t look at Jake’s example linked above but that pickguard is unique to Weymann.

Jim is right, I am sure- that engraved flower motif on the tailpiece is seen on Weymann mandolins.

I just found this listing last night--- https://www.elderly.com/products/wey...-mandolin-1915

You're certainly right! Thank you so much for helping to solve the mystery :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by NickR

Jim is right, I am sure- that engraved flower motif on the tailpiece is seen on Weymann mandolins.

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There are a few engraved cloud covers that were available from jobbers that appear on multiple instruments from different makers. If you look at the one that the OP linked to you'll find them on MayBell and other makes up through the 30's. I don't think they can be tied specifically to Weymann.