Summary
1904 manufacture date (traditional estimates)
1904 shipment date, according to Spann's Guide to Gibson
Mandola, Style H
Serial 3063
Factory order number unknown
Description
Early bird mandola. All the hallmarks of the first Orville instruments- rim *carved* from a single piece of wood rather than bent (and including the neck heel), 5-screw tailpiece (and no tail block), large air cavity in the neck joint (which is extremely bloated in this mandola!), inlaid pickguard, pineapple tailpiece cover with hole in it, "The Gibson" inlaid on peghead in yet another unusual variation script.
Peghead was snapped in half at some point, and the original bridge has been replaced with a non-gibson adjustible type
All photos in this listing by Bev Lawton