kidblast Posted May 10, 2016 Share Posted May 10, 2016 the singer in my bands father inlaw passed recently this was found in a closet, family is wondering if it's worth anything, I have suggested they contact Elderly, or just contact Gibson customer service but thought I'd post something here see if any of the gurus have any ideas looks like the body split and was repaired which I did mention would in fact effect appraised value Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted May 10, 2016 Share Posted May 10, 2016 tpbiii here (Tom Barnwell) has a large collection of vintage banjo variants. You might try to PM him. I would be surprised if it had any significant value. Things like this are primarily curiosities, unless it is a highly-desirable banjo model. Edit: after a very quick search, it looks closest to a UB-3, judging by the board inlays. That logo suggests early 1930's, if the logo used on instruments like this followed the logo details on guitars. Still doubt that it has much value, particularly given the condition Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted May 10, 2016 Author Share Posted May 10, 2016 thanks Nick, I thought UB-3 too, the inlays were similar. I don't think it's worth a lot either, it's pretty beat. I'll look up tom (tpbill). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpbiii Posted May 12, 2016 Share Posted May 12, 2016 Hi, I am no expert on this market, but I know a little. That is a UB-3 -- almost certainly made in the 20s. We actually have a fair number of banjo ukes because (1) they were quite popular in the 1920s and (2) there were lots of them cheap in the flea markets in the 70s and 80s -- we have a bunch we use for decoration. We have two Gibsons: both UB-1s -- one large (like yours) and one small. It is sort of a series of good news -- bad news. Good news -- there is a collector market and the UB-3 is desirable Bad news -- Damage like that is very serious for collectors Good news -- there is a major rebirth in the uke market right now Bad news -- it does not seem to extend to banjo ukes very much In excellent conditions, the Vintage Guitar Price Guide (dealer estimate of retail asking price) is $1000-$1500. For one excellent condition, that means you could probably move it to a dealer for maybe $700-$800. Yours is much more problematic -- if there is a player's market, I have not seen it, so your stuck with collectors who won't like the damage. It is a totally cool instrument though -- and a high end model that is relatively rare. I hope this helps. Best, -Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted May 12, 2016 Author Share Posted May 12, 2016 it helps quite a lot Bill I will pass this along. thanks!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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