B.E. Boyden "The Boyden" 5-string banjo, Circa 1891
Boyden was a Bridgeport, Ct, maker who was issued two patents for novel banjo designs. The second, issued in 1891, was for the design of this banjo with a rim made of many vertical plated brass cylinders tied together by two wire hoops. A simple tone ring sits atop the cylinders. Note the unusual neck adjustment system, the brass peghead overlay, and the multiple laminations under the veneer ebony fingerboard.