What specific mandolins would make the best long-term investments --
and why? These could be vintage or new, preferably priced between $2K
and $20K,  (The stock market doesn't seem to be doing too well these
days!)

Dear bluegrassfiddler-ga;

Thank you for allowing me an opportunity to answer your interesting
question. Like all investor markets there's no way to know for certain
what will go up and what wil go down in value. The rule here is always
"buyer beware".

The Florentine style mandolins (sometimes called ?F5? mandolins)
manufactured in the early 20th century are, without question, the most
valuable of all mandolins. Before the scripted ?F Hole? style was
introduced in 1922 the ?A Series? had oval holes (and some continued
to have ovals even later). Since this new design had a noticeably
dramatic impact on the tone and quality of many instruments, the F
style mandolins in particular have increased in value and desirability
almost since their introduction.

OVERVIEW OF MANDOLINS
http://www.guitars.com/articles/mandos.html

Since the 1920?s F Hole mandolins of quality are quite valuable, it
might be reasonable to assume that the 1930?s and post World War II F
Holes that are not already quite valuable will also be significantly
valuable in the not-too-distant future.

In addition there is chatter that the Flatiron F5 is expected to
become quite valuable because the name as a brand is defunct since
Gibson took it over in 1987 (and of course because the instrument is
of superior quality). I would even go as far as to interpret these
conversations to suggest that it doesn?t matter if it?s a pre-Gibson
or post-Gibson. In the long-term the Flatiron may become a very
desirable mandolin to collectors and/or investors.

FOLK OF THE WOOD
http://www.folkofthewood.com/page1732.htm

The site MANDOZINE comes right out and asks your question to several
well-known dealers, collectors and players of the mandolin. These
folks answers for everyone, who, like you, wonders if mandolins are a
potential cash cow down the road:

??what's the most undervalued vintage mando out there today so I can
buy a few and make a killing in ten years??

It?s a long article but it?s full of very useful information about
valuable (and perhaps some valueLESS) mandolins. Do yourself a favor
and read it. All you want to know is right here:

MANDO ZINE
http://www.mandozine.com/resources/VDRT/


I hope you find that my research exceeds your expectations. If you
have any questions about my research please post a clarification
request prior to rating the answer. Otherwise, I welcome your rating
and your final comments and I look forward to working with you again
in the near future. Thank you for bringing your question to us.

Best regards;
Tutuzdad ? Google Answers Researcher


OTHER INFORMATION SOURCES




SEARCH STRATEGY


SEARCH ENGINES USED:

Google ://www.google.com




SEARCH TERMS USED:

MANDOLIN

VALUE

INVEST

INCREASE

WORTH

PRICE

MARKET

F HOLE

OVAL HOLE

ANTIQUE

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Request for Answer Clarification by bluegrassfiddler-ga on 02 Sep 2005 17:49 PDT

Hello tutuzdad-

Thanks for your useful answer and associated pointers on the Web. 
Since the Vintage Dealers' Roundtable article, there have been two
significant developments: a strong boom in vintage mandolin prices and
the emergence of many more "boutique" new makers who are talked up
daily on the Mandolin Cafe.

Could you unearth any information about making an investment tradeoff
-- at today's prices -- among these options:
a) vintage instruments (e.g., an old Gibson F-4 in near-original shape $7K)
b) new makers who are extremely well regarded but not yet too
expensive (e.g., Brentrup, Kimble $7K)
c) established modern makers who command high prices already (e.g.,
Monteleone, Gilchrist $20K+)

Thanks,

Dave

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Clarification of Answer by tutuzdad-ga on 02 Sep 2005 18:32 PDT

Dear Dave:

Normally I would not hesistate to work on follow up questions, but at
the risk of sounding like I am trying to leave our transaction here
incomplete (which is not my intention), I have to say that your follow
up question asking for an investment tradeoff analysis is something
considerably more complicated that your original question about which
instruments might potentially gain in value in the coming years. There
may be a researcher out there who is far more knowledgeable in this
area than me and is willing to do such a financial market analysis for
you for the price you have offered. Having said that, for best results
I recommend you pose your secondary questions as a separate
question(s) priced accordingly to reflect the amount of work and
desired level of expertise that would be required.

Best regards;
Tutuzdad-ga

I appreciate the one major reference you turned up, which is very
helpful.  I do think that some more detail on the old vs. new choice
would have been germane to the original question; I was able to turn
up some useful analyses myself in a few minutes.