Re: Help IDing old bowlback mandolin
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.
Allen Hopkins
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