Antiques Roadshow

GUEST: This was my father-in-law's guitar.

And he purchased it from his brother, who was a professional musician.

I just know it's a 1938 Martin and he played it all the time.

He really enjoyed it.

He didn't really play much professionally.

He tried to do that.

I think in the '30s, there's a picture someplace of him with George Gobel.

APPRAISER: Oh, really?

GUEST: Yes.

APPRAISER: He did make it onto the radio?

GUEST: He did make it onto radio with George Gobel the one time.

APPRAISER: He didn't give it a lot of hard playing, and, most importantly, he didn't have work done on it.

The D-18 model is probably the most sought-after model by bluegrass and folk players.

GUEST: Oh, really?

APPRAISER: They like the D-18 because it's a relatively simple guitar.

It doesn't have a whole lot of needless ornamentation.

And what they love about it is that the back and sides are made of mahogany, which-which is, acoustically...

GUEST: Oh... APPRAISER: ...a very, very fine wood, even though it's not very showy.

So these actually, uh, work better with, uh, recordings and microphones.

Now, the front of the guitar is made from spruce that came from the Adirondack Mountains.

GUEST: Really?

APPRAISER: Inside the guitar, we have a stamp on the center strip that says "C.F.

Martin, Nazareth, Pennsylvania," and on the upper block, where the neck is actually set in, it will have the model number, which is D-18, and it will have the serial number, which we can date to late 1938.

And 1938 was a pivotal year for Martin, where they actually changed the bracing, the internal bracing on the guitar.

So I'm just gonna feel quickly right in here, and I feel that that "X" where the bracing crosses...

GUEST: Oh... APPRAISER: ...is very near the sound hole.

So we call that "advanced bracing," which makes it a more valuable guitar.

GUEST: Really?

Okay.

APPRAISER: You've had some correspondence with the Martin Company to find out about the model number, but what you didn't find out was what it's actually worth.

GUEST: Right.

APPRAISER: Do you have an idea of that?

GUEST: No, well, the letter said the new ones in the '60s were worth about $1,000.

APPRAISER: Mm-hmm.

GUEST: So we thought, well, maybe with inflation, about $5,000.

APPRAISER: Okay.

GUEST: Wa-- I need to... (stammering): 'Cause we'd like to insure it properly, and... APPRAISER: Okay.

The top has been overcoated lightly.

And that just means a clear coat of varnish...

GUEST: Oh, really?

APPRAISER: To-to cover up some of the wear that's happened to it.

But that's not a big deal, because in today's market, the replacement value of this guitar, with the advanced bracing, would be about $28,000 to $30,000.

GUEST: (gasps) Okay, uh... APPRAISER: Yeah.

GUEST: Wow.

(both laugh) Oh, my.

(laughs) He would be so proud.

It's such an honor for him, it really is.

He was such a great guy.