1950 Martin D-28 Guitar
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GUEST:
When I was about four years old, in about 1968, my dad did some electrical work, and it was about $200 worth of electrical work at that time, and the guy couldn't pay him, and so he offered this in trade. I was learning how to play a guitar at the time, and around middle school I grew out of that guitar, and Dad turned this one over to me, and I started taking it to school and playing in the chorus, and to the beach and playing at the campfires all through high school and then about 1990 or 91, I had my second child and I decided I didn't want it out with toddlers. So I put it away and now it only comes out about a couple of times a year, just whenever I want to tinker around with it.
APPRAISER:
Well, it's great that he got it in trade for $200 worth of electrical work, because that's about what it sold for when it was new in 1950. It's a great example of an iconic musical instrument. The Martin D-28 was first made in this size and style in 1934, and like all style 28 Martin guitars, it's rosewood back and sides, and they were still using Brazilian rosewood at this time, which they stopped using in the late 1960s. It's a sitka spruce top, and in our business, it's condition, condition, condition.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
You might want to substitute one of those for the word "originality" and this guitar has both. It's kind of amazing that you took it to beach parties and things like that,
GUEST:
I did.
APPRAISER:
because it has almost no scratches. It's completely original, with the exception of the bridge pins. The original bridge pins were white with a black dot. But of course, that's something that you could change. You could put the original style back in. In a specialty shop, or at a musical instrument auction, I would expect it to sell for $14,000 or perhaps more.
GUEST:
Really?
APPRAISER:
And very quickly, because there are so many people that are looking for them.
GUEST:
How exciting. Thank you. Yeah, I love my guitar.
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