J. Magez fretless 5-string banjo, Circa 1870's
This is a wonderful early banjo made by J. Magez of Baltimore, MD. It is particularly interesting in that it has an early spunover rim with beautiful brass shield brackets, bent hooks, and square nuts, and a beautifully made fretless neck with flush fret markers and a lovely inlaid wood marquetry design of a banjo player. Little is known of Magez, but his fellow Baltimore maker William Esperance Boucher, Jr., is widely regarded as one of the first, and most significant, banjo manufacturers in the U.S.