Gibson RB-11 5-string Banjo, ca. 1936
Watch
GUEST:
This is my grandfather's. He bought it in the '30s and taught himself how to play. And I can remember as a kid everybody sitting around watching him play, and he was so good he could play with his eyes closed. And that was passed on to my father, and then I inherited it after that. I tried my hand at it, but wasn't very good, but...
APPRAISER:
But you want to get back to it.
GUEST:
Absolutely.
APPRAISER:
Okay, well, this, so you do know, it's a 1930s banjo made by the Gibson Company. And this is a model RB-11. Now, the 11 style they made in tenor banjo, that would be called a TB-11, a plectrum banjo, which is a long-necked four-string, that was the PB-11.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
MB-11 was the mandolin banjo, and this is the regular banjo, the RB-11, the five-string.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
Very rare in this period. This is probably about 1936, '37, something like that. And they made... it's during a period when they made hardly any five-string banjoes at all. The tenor banjo had taken over by about 1925. So by this point, I suppose they may have made only one five-string banjo for every 50 tenors.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
That few five-strings. Really, really astounding to see one, especially to see one in this kind of original condition with all of the original pearloid—(laughing) We call it "mother of toilet seat" fingerboard-- intact, with all the designs. And wonderful pearloid resonator.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
And blue paint.
GUEST:
And that's blue?
APPRAISER:
They made them in black and in blue. Yeah, that is blue, dark blue. A lot of it's worn off, but it's unbelievably intact and original, no one's done anything to it. Original five-string peg. Original tail piece. I think the original bridge.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
Original skin head. And you can see here, there's the original tuners with the Gibson, and the original truss rod cover, also in pearloid. I think I've only seen perhaps two or three original RB-11 five-strings in my life. And I've been doing this a very long time. Have you any sense at all of what this is worth?
GUEST:
I wouldn't even guess, I have no idea.
APPRAISER:
Well, I wouldn't have said this even a couple of years ago, but with the popularity of bluegrass and the five-string banjo coming back, especially after some recent movies and tours of great musicians, I'd say at least $5,000.
GUEST:
My goodness.
APPRAISER:
Perhaps $5,500, in that range. That surprise you?
GUEST:
Yes, it does. It does.
APPRAISER:
Going to start to play banjo again?
GUEST:
(laughing) Yes. I sure will.
APPRAISER:
You want to hear a little what it sounds like?
GUEST:
Oh, I'd love to, yeah.
APPRAISER:
(playing a tune)
GUEST:
Excellent.
Appraisal Details
Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.
Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."
Note the date: Take note of the date the appraisal was recorded. This information appears in the upper left corner of the page, with the label "Appraised On." Values change over time according to market forces, so the current value of the item could be higher, lower, or the same as when our expert first appraised it.
Context is key: Listen carefully. Most of our experts will give appraisal values in context. For example, you'll often hear them say what an item is worth "at auction," or "retail," or "for insurance purposes" (replacement value). Retail prices are different from wholesale prices. Often an auctioneer will talk about what she knows best: the auction market. A shop owner will usually talk about what he knows best: the retail price he'd place on the object in his shop. And though there are no hard and fast rules, an object's auction price can often be half its retail value; yet for other objects, an auction price could be higher than retail. As a rule, however, retail and insurance/replacement values are about the same.
Verbal approximations: The values given by the experts on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW are considered "verbal approximations of value." Technically, an "appraisal" is a legal document, generally for insurance purposes, written by a qualified expert and paid for by the owner of the item. An appraisal usually involves an extensive amount of research to establish authenticity, provenance, composition, method of construction, and other important attributes of a particular object.
Opinion of value: As with all appraisals, the verbal approximations of value given at ROADSHOW events are our experts' opinions formed from their knowledge of antiques and collectibles, market trends, and other factors. Although our valuations are based on research and experience, opinions can, and sometimes do, vary among experts.
Appraiser affiliations: Finally, the affiliation of the appraiser may have changed since the appraisal was recorded. To see current contact information for an appraiser in the ROADSHOW Archive, click on the link below the appraiser's picture. Our Appraiser Index also contains a complete list of active ROADSHOW appraisers and their contact details and biographies.
