The banjo pictured does look like a Supertone. The manufacturer the banjo collector world presumes made Supertone banjos for Sears was Rettberg & Lange. R&L also made thousands of the same banjo for other distributors with no label. But if family lore says it is a Supertone, very likely it is.

Though I have had a few Supertone banjos come through my shop in the 50 years I have been in the vintage banjo biz, I do not have any photos or records to assist you in the exact model of the banjo. I am sure another BHO member can offer that information.

I would love to see the rest of that picture that includes your great grandfather. If you don't mind, could you please post the full image?

Bob Smakula
smakulafrettedinstruments.com
 

I think that all, or nearly all, of the Sears and Roebuck catalogs have been digitized. I know Ancestry has most of them available and the missing ones may be found at other sources digitally.

Your best bet to match a model is to do the old fashioned page by page search and match the description.

Year to year the descriptions (specification) changed slightly so you will need a keen eye and attention to detail. Mostly the changes were done to lower the manufacturing cost.

I happen to have a reproduction of the 1902 Sears catalog. Checking the banjo page, I see all the engraved illustrations of banjos are Lyon & Healy instruments. You will want to look at Sears catalogs newer than 1902.

Bob Smakula
smakulafrettedinstruments.com

it looks just like this one posted on this thread https://www.banjohangout.org/archive/200683

Here's the full picture as requested. Family band with my great grandfather and some of his kids at a radio station. I think his daughter to the right is playing a gibson LG1, but I'm unsure. The photo was probably taken around 1946 or 1947.

JSutton

That is a great picture. Thanks for posting the full photo. The only thing that could be cooler would be a sound recording of the band.

The guitar on the right could be an LG-1 or LG-2. Looking at the light going in the sound hole, I see a reflection of what could be an X-brace on the guitar top, indicating LG-2. But that is just a guess.

Bob Smakula

Look in Fall 1917 or Spring/Fall 1918 Sears Roebuck catalog. There was briefly an early variant of the Supertone "Dixie Wonder" model. These were a model 828 and (briefly in late 1918) the model 404. The distinguishing characteristic is the star in the peghead with an otherwise standard Dixie Wonder inlay pattern. These model years came with silk strings. Your photo MAY be one of these banjos. My great-grandfather played this briefly-available model as well. The more commonly known Dixie Wonder of the 1920s started in 1919 with a sort of floral peghead overlay rather than a simple star, initially as model 407 and later more commonly as model 414 (and later briefly as model 514 around 1930). I have a late 414 version, around 1927. Model years before Fall 1921 have 38 brackets (ie a whole stinking lot) and later Dixie Wonders have 30 brackets. The linked Dixie Wonder thread/photo is, I believe, one of the early 1917/1918 model 828 Dixie Wonder banjos, like my great-grandfather’s.

Edit to add I have never seen the early model with the star peghead for sale, but Dixie Wonders themselves, particularly 1920s model 414, do come up fairly regularly.