1963 C.F. Martin D-28 Guitar with Case
GUEST: It's, uh, my dad's guitar. He acquired it back in 1963. His mother bought it for him at a music store in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, and had it shipped to him at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia that same year.
APPRAISER: And this is your father with the picture right next to you over there?
GUEST: Yes. So, this is a picture of my father from the talent show that he was in...
APPRAISER: Mm-hmm.
GUEST: ...at Langley Air Force Base that he won.
APPRAISER: He looks pretty happy right there. (chuckles)
GUEST: He's a very happy guy, yeah.
APPRAISER: You have-- indeed, it's a 1963. I checked the, the serial number.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: Uh, Martin D-28, which is kind of the workhorse of the Martin line ever since the early 1930s, when the first one was made.
GUEST: Mm.
APPRAISER: The first-- it's called a dreadnought shape. It's a big, booming, great guitar. They-- even today, they still make the same guitar. It's kind of the go-to guitar for bluegrass and folk music. It's probably the best-known acoustic guitar in the world. Martin moved from Germany to New York City in 1833, where he made guitars up until they moved to Nazareth, Pennsylvania, where they are today. It's constructed of a spruce top and Brazilian rosewood back and sides and a mahogany neck.
GUEST: Mm.
APPRAISER: Uh, the Brazilian rosewood is rare wood and is on the endangered species list now. But it was really Martin's go-to, uh, back and side wood for all of their high-end guitars. So this is a, uh, in incredibly nice condition. It really looks near mint. He must have really taken care of this, uh...
GUEST: I wasn't even all —
APPRAISER: Wiped it down every time he used it.
GUEST: Every time. And I was not allowed to play it. At all.
APPRAISER: Mm-hmm, you, you could never.
GUEST: Or if I did, I mean it was very like-- five minutes.
APPRAISER: You had to sneak it, or, yeah. Yeah. (chuckles) As wonderful as the Martin guitar company is and was...
GUEST: Mm.
APPRAISER: ...back through the '50s and the '60s and the '70s, these guitars almost always needed a neck set, almost brand-new, out of the factory. And that's the one issue with this guitar...
GUEST: Okay
APPRAISER: ...is it really does need a neck set.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: Meaning that the string action is, is quite high as it comes down the fingerboard. And I'll also mention that the nice bright green of the interior of this case, you don't see that too often, either.
GUEST: Oh.
APPRAISER: The case is original and beautiful, and the guitar is original and beautiful. Do you have any idea what he paid for it?
GUEST: His mother paid $269.50.
APPRAISER: Mm?
GUEST: For it back in 1963.
APPRAISER: 1963.
GUEST: Yeah.
APPRAISER: This guitar today, at retail, would bring between $12,000 and $12,500.
GUEST: Come on. Wow. No way! (chuckles)
APPRAISER: Yeah, yeah. No, really, it, it...
GUEST: Holy-- wow! I am shocked.
APPRAISER: It's really one of the nicest D-28s I've ever seen, so.
GUEST: No, come on.
APPRAISER: Yeah, beautiful. (sighs)
GUEST: He's going to be so excited.
$12,000 - $12,500 Retail
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Understanding Our Appraisals
Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.
Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."
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