I recent purchased this Richelieu 5001 banjo and was curious what fair market value would be?
It looks like it has upgrades from a standard 5001 such as gold plating and additional carving.
There is some surface wear, checking, dings, etc.
This was owned by a founding member of banjo buddies dixieland band so chatgpt says its an i.portant part of chicago jazz history? 6 digit serial number starting with 40, which means 1980 just before the fire at their factory?
Im not sure if the photos posted so trying again
Probably few if any documented recent sales of this model banjo. I would catalog all the artisan features, gold plate, carving on heel, back of headstock, engraved tuners, marquetry on back of double ring resonator etc. Then find similar banjos from similar banjos makers. Look at new and used prices for those other banjos. Ome has certainly made banjos with similar ornamentation.
About five or six years ago I sold a similar banjo in a five string version for around 1500. Back then it took a while to sell. Really nice instrument and quality wise, worth a lot more. Just not many people know the brand so the demand for them is quite low.
I can’t say on any level what a four string model may be worth in 2026. Maybe more, maybe less, or about the same. But I can say they are very high quality instruments with a solid, unique sound.
The brand should carry more weight in the tenor jazz players’ world since that was CCR’s base.
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