There's a S. S. Stewart Special Thoroughbred Model 3 now being offered up for bid on e-Bay that is well worth a look and a little drooling: click here!

Starting bid is around $1900 which should not be especially surprising. In a good market a Stewart banjo like this one should sell for about $2500 but maybe someone will get a good buy.

The banjo looks as if it's in excellent condition, with the exception of some missing mother-of-pearl inlay in the fingerboard and a substitute bracket or two.

What makes it a Model 3 is the deeply carved heel, the veneer strips under the fingerboard, the very elaborate MOP inlay on the fingerboard and peghead itself, the mosaic veneer inlay on the inside of the rim, and the chased border around the outside of the rim.

Too bad I'm maxed out on resident banjos.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble