So my dad left me this
I have no clue how to price it
It's beautiful
It's buckmaster n made in Australia
Rip banjo bob
Help is appreciated! What is that beautiful thing?
Oh wow I haven’t seen one of those for years and years
That’s a great banjo, I don’t know how to price either
Edited by - the-fish on 05/20/2025 19:29:54
Gruhn's has handled a few over the years...
If it helps, if I recall! Them being pricey at the time, not quite 20 years ago but close , between 1900/2500 and those were relative plain, no gold plating or heel carving and all that fancy stuff going on, he paid alot for it I would guess
But, they don’t come up, not really a market, I don’t think? Wasn’t something alot of people had so it would take the right person to want it
I would probably have it appraised by gruhn in Tennessee , you can do it all online , detailed pictures , nest description, all angles, I believe I see a whyte lady tone ring in there so capture that , the inside tag the more info and pics the better and he will give a estimate written up
But I at least couldn’t even guess
A idle hobby of the banjo obsessive is using internet wayback machine to browse places like Gruhn. These are from 7 and 15 years ago, but I didn't do an exhaustive search. I recall from frequenting Gruhn's inventory throughout that time period that the Buckmasters sat for a LONG time (multiple years). As Rick rightly points out, the market is very limited for such specific instruments
Another place to ask about rare/eclectic banjos would be Bernunzio's in Rochester:
bernunzio.com/category/instrum...ate_added
My guess, this piece would go for $5k to $6k -- if you can be patient to find the right buyer.
I second Blake Gilpin’s comments. I remember a Buckmaster at Gryphon. A fine, well-made banjo; Tubaphone as I recall. It languished, even at a reasonable price. Why? Way too gaudy. Thick polyester(?) finish; overdone decoration. That may have been desirable for his market in Australia, but it didn’t go over well here.
I have played a Buckmaster in Oz back in the 90's. The first thing I noticed about it was its weight. It was really light but the sound was powerful.
