Attic/Garage Finds

[cwgivens21]

By now, we've all seen and heard the "Loar in the Attic" story from Antiques Roadshow, as well as other stories of folks coming across great vintage mandolins in unlikely places (Ricky Skaggs' Loar also comes to mind). For those of us, like me, who enjoy going to auctions, flea markets, garage sales, and the like, what's the best mandolin (or other instrument) find you've ever made? What signs do you look for when trying to decide what yard sale or auction to go to, especially when there's little or no information available? Also, how do you handle a situation where someone has grossly underpriced a desirable instrument? I'm interested to see what folks have to say.

[Timbofood]

My second mandolin, Kalamazoo KM -11 yard sale, $100.00!
I wish I still had it!
My fourth, Gibson A-50 $150.00, wish I still had that too. The hunt goes on!
These were good finds at the time, the market was more..."forgiving" back then.
As for undermarket values and seller profit, I have always tried to be as fair as I can. Sometimes, sellers are so sure of what they have, they don't want to hear they are wrong about what the item really is. A buddy of mine picked up a very nice D-21 which the seller insisted was a D-18! It's hard to try to bump some folks "up" when they "KNOW" what they have! Be fair, bad karma will bite you when you least expect it!

[jaycat]

I found a Hagstrom electric guitar at a yard sale once. I think I paid $25 for it. It had lots of knobs and switches, most of which didn't seem to do much of anything.

Sorry, that's the best I can do.

[nickster60]

A Martin Backpacker guitar for $2.00. A Buffet clarinet for $25.00 in great condition. A no name Tenor sax with a Brilhart mouthpiece and Harrison ligature for $20.00.

[Bigtuna]

No such luck as far as instruments go, but I found a signed Bill Monroe lp for $7. The store manager seemed dismayed that he missed it, but he sold it to me for $7 as marked. Now if I would have put it down the price may have risen as I walked out. All in all he seemed happy that I walked away happy.

[Tobin]

Most of the instruments I see at garage sales are cheap junk... and broken. But I recently bought a nice Ode banjo at an estate sale for $400. They go for around three times that much on the used market when you can find them. Not bad, I think.

As for how I handle those situations, I will try to Google the maker or find something out before buying, but if there isn't time, I just make a snap decision. No moral dilemma for me in trying to tell the seller what it's really worth. If I ever find a Loar for $100, I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

[allenhopkins]

Found a 'teens Gibson A-1, a B&J Victoria bowl-back, and a no-name gut-strung banjo in the attic of my grandfather's house when we were cleaning it out, preparatory to selling it after his and my great-aunt's death. This was around 1968. I got all of 'em for free. The A-1 was the instrument I learned on; subsequently it went in trade on an F-2, which in turn went in trade on my F-5. I still have the Victoria bowl-back and play it for historical music programs. I have the banjo, too, which I've put light steel strings on, and also play occasionally.

Found an 1880's Zimmermann five-bar Autoharp at a flea market for $75, but that wasn't super-bargain, as the little ones go fairly cheap. My other great-aunt gave me my Holdrio pocket mandolin, don't know where she got it. I've also been given a Stewart ukulele-banjo and a no-name, but pretty decent, mandolin-banjo, which others found in closets and had little use for.

[nickster60]

You use to to see lots of instuments in yard sales before ebay. Just about everybody today has access to the internet and do some basic research on their instument. That being said sometime people just want to get rid of things. Years ago I found a Fender Precision bass with a Fender case in the trash. Most of the hardware has been stripped off but it was a easy fix. I still have it and play in on occasion.

[JeffD]

Looking for a fine instrument in a flea market or garage sale is like looking for love in a bordello. It might be there but its not the first place I would look.

[spufman]

'The Strat In The Attic' (both volumes) is a very fun read, though certainly guitar-centric. My only real flea market bargain was back in '83 or so: an old Danelectro Shorthorn Bass in the funky original tweed hard case, for $5. It had no electronics or pickguard, but was otherwise quite nice. Still have it, though I modified it heavily (I was young).

[lenf12]

I got a '65 blacktop Fender Tremo-luxe head and 2 x 10 cabinet for $150. These folks were having their garage sale starting Saturday morning but I was driving through the neighborhood on Friday afternoon on my way home early from work. Hubby and wife were cleaning out the garage and staging everything for Sat. AM. As I drove by, I spotted the amp...........STOP!! Agreed to his price. When I asked the guy what happened to the guitar that goes with the amp, he replied it was stolen out of his basement. (btw - it was an early '60s cherry red Gibson 335). Well, that amp was also "stolen" out of his garage, even though I paid his asking price.

Len B.
Clearwater, FL

[Mandoplumb]

I have a friend that bought a Martin D18 for $250 he told the lady it was worth way more than that she said she wanted $250 and not a penny less, that was what her husband had given for it many years ago that was what she wanted. What was really funny she told him that a man had just left that offered $200 and she turned him down.

[Jeff Mando]

What is inspiring to me about these stories is how often it happens and also how common it is that things are sold without concern for current market value or without any research being done. Everybody likes finding a new "toy" at a bargain price!

[Timbofood]

Who knows Jeff, you may be the next guy to find his pearl!

[DPrager]

I didn't actually make the "Attic find", but I certainly was the beneficiary of such a find.

My wife's girlfriend's sister's husband found a mandolin that one of his relatives had. The story of the find was shared with me and they let me check out the mandolin and play it for a while. I ended up making a reasonable offer which was rejected. They countered with a slightly higher value that would allow three siblings to evenly share the money from the sale. I simply asked if a check was OK.

Helluva 1915 F4

[vic-victor]

I once bought a modern Framus electric guitar at a garage sale for $100.00, enjoyed it for a while and sold it for $1600. Also a flea market Beddoes banjo-uke with the torn skin. $100 spent, another $100 for repair and it went for $1800. And yes, my first mando (a Chicago-made bowlback) was bought at the flea market and this is what sparked my interest to mandolin in general, which is priceless, I guess

[elmicko]

I've never encountered a yard sale bargain but if I did run across an old instrument that was priced well below value, I'd give the seller their asking price and enjoy getting a heck of a bargain. They priced it at what they wanted to get out of it. There's not many of those finds out there now that the Internet is part of everyone's life but that doesn't keep me from hoping.

[Jeff Mando]

There's not many of those finds out there now that the Internet is part of everyone's life but that doesn't keep me from hoping.

Well, yes and no......the people who sell instruments on eBay for retail prices MAY have purchased them at yard sale prices. You just need to become one of those people!

[Jeff Mando]

I once bought a modern Framus electric guitar at a garage sale for $100.00, enjoyed it for a while and sold it for $1600. Also a flea market Beddoes banjo-uke with the torn skin. $100 spent, another $100 for repair and it went for $1800.

This guy needs to run for president.