Take me home country roads

Tommy Martyn · Post by **Tommy Martyn** » Mon Feb 20, 2006 7:15 pm

The other night when I was talking to Marky we were laughing about the kids playing with an old banjo. We had just been given a load of stuff by some old relatives who were moving out of their house to go to a nursing home. The banjo was taken just to stop it being thrown in a dumpster. Not so fast. God bless the internet. The banjo is in fact a Henry C Tallmudge of Cincinnati. He was known to be a producer circa 1880's. The instrument I have is dated Nov1883. It is fretted. Frets started to appear on the banjo about 1880. I'm going to get it appraised. This is just like antiques roadshow.

marky · Post by **marky** » Mon Feb 20, 2006 8:16 pm

Can you take a picture of it so we can see?

Tommy Martyn · Post by **Tommy Martyn** » Tue Feb 28, 2006 6:04 pm

I went on a field trip to the art museum today with Henry's class. There was a tallmudge banjo on display. Not as good as the one I have. I talked to the head curator and she is trying to get the number for the banjo dealer who found their instrument. She is also going to put me in touch with the descendants of mr Tallmudge who live here in town.

She told me that a Tallmudge banjo looks like a Chicago banjo. This was because Mr Tallmudge himself was from Chicago. He started to make instruments in Cincinnati about 1880 but gave up the trade in 1890 as Cincinnati became electrified and he could make more money as an electrician.

Tommy Martyn · Post by **Tommy Martyn** » Thu Mar 02, 2006 1:39 am

Mrs Tallmudge, the grandaughter of the man who made my banjo, called me today in some state of excitement. Apparently I am the owner of the only known Tallmadge banjo that is not in a museum - and there is only one of them.

Mrs Tallmudge is aged 67 and never thought she would see one. As a gift to her a few years ago, her sons set about tracking one down and donated it to the Cincinnati art museum on her behalf. She made it known to me that she wants my banjo to pass onto her kids. So now it is a question of price. I guess I'll get it appraised. I got it for nothing, so I'm tempted to give it away for that. It clearly means a lot to the old girl. Yet, if it is valuable then what's to stop her kids selling it off.

Decisions. Decisions.

marky · Post by **marky** » Thu Mar 02, 2006 4:04 am

Wow, man. If I was in your position and wasn't so damn skint right now I would give it to her for free, too. I think it should all depend on how bad you need the money I guess. Then again if you're as skint as I am you'd be happy to get $20, so...

I got my phone bill the other day. Sticker shock. I should just start using a fucking calling card, it's really cheaper that way.

Now when are you gonna tell me what year you saw the Comsat Angels, Tommy?

martino · Post by **martino** » Thu Mar 02, 2006 2:25 pm

you got it for free but you have to take care of you and yours, not tallmudge and hers. however, as we all know, pigs get slaughtered. my advice: rent "the mouse hunt" and watch it with henry; it is one of my favorite children's flicks and it is topical. and decide then.

Maverick · Post by **Maverick** » Thu Mar 02, 2006 4:54 pm

I didn't initiallyrespond to this, because I figured I'd sound like the heartless asshole when I said "get it appraised, then charge her a little less than what the appraiser says it's worth." Easier said than done. If I were the one with the coveted banjo, I'd talk tough at first about charging what it's worth, then probably end up giving it to her for like $100.

The real thing to consider is, what do you think someone else would do if you were the one who wanted something they had? Would they give it up cheaply or free just because it meant alot to you? Or would they sense that and charge you every penny you were willing to pay? I don't know, I guess it depends on the person.

You could always sell it to her for what it's worth, then donate the money somewhere, that might alleviate any guilt.

Tommy Martyn · Post by **Tommy Martyn** » Fri Mar 03, 2006 1:00 am

I'm sorry, I've only given you half of the story. The folks who gave us the banjo gave us lots of other stuff. Some of it valuable, some of it just because it had a story "in the family." For instance we have a small sofa that Babe (that's what everyone called him) picked up in Austria in 1945 (when he was an intelligence officer in the US army) at an auction of contents of what used to be a bordello. It was a big laugh in the family that his very timid wife spent 50 years having polite conversation sitting on such a torrid item. They also gve us a lovely bookshelf which they paid a five figure sum for back in the 60's. It proved to be too tall for our house and now resides at the inlaws. I tell you this to show that they were open and generous with their lifetimes possessions. A few months ago I was sat outside their house after moving stuff into box vans and talked to babe about leaving the house he had been in for over 50 years. Babe told me that he was moving to the nursing home with the sole intention of dying. The banjo has his fathers name ingrained at the base of the neck. It would be an item that would fit into the small apartment they now live in. If it is worth something then I feel I should tell them and see what they want to do with it. This is also what I told to Mrs Tallmadge.

Tommy Martyn · Post by **Tommy Martyn** » Fri Mar 03, 2006 1:08 am

Seeing as eyes are focused here. I got word today that we are being moved to London for the summer. June 10th to August 21st are the preliminary dates. As I told McC on the phone a while ago, they aren't flying all of us over there for the summer so I can piss off to the world cup and leave Mrs Tommy at home. Might be handy for a long weekend though. Maybe I'll have space for visitors. I'll definitely be in Ireland for a few weeks (my brother lives there) anybody want to go to Belfast? He has a holiday place by the giants causeway. Very nice on the two days ayear that it doesn't rain.

The sale of an expensive banjo (if that is what it is) would cover the beer nicely.

megapulse · Post by **megapulse** » Sat Mar 04, 2006 1:33 pm

"I guess I'll get it appraised. I got it for nothing, so I'm tempted to give it away for that. It clearly means a lot to the old girl"

'The banjo has his fathers name ingrained at the base of the neck"

"Mrs Tallmudge, the grandaughter of the man who made my banjo"

"The folks who gave us the banjo gave us lots of other stuff. Some of it valuable, some of it just because it had a story "in the family"'

"I went on a field trip to the art museum today with Henry's class."

that's really cool. what a good dad.

have you asked henry what he thinks you should do?

"For instance we have a small sofa that Babe (that's what everyone called him) picked up in Austria in 1945 (when he was an intelligence officer in the US army) at an auction of contents of what used to be a bordello. It was a big laugh in the family that his very timid wife spent 50 years having polite conversation sitting on such a torrid item."

that sounds like an o. henry story. it's very funny!

Tommy Martyn · Post by **Tommy Martyn** » Fri Mar 10, 2006 4:09 pm

Went behind the scenes at the museum today. Found out the following....there are 5 or 6 Tallmudge banjos in existence. The museum purchased theirs for $1650 about three years ago. My banjo is in better condition and has not had any parts replaced.

With regards about what to do with it, well that has been settled by Tracy. It stays in the family. End of argument.

Bulletin Board of Bad Behavior

Take me home country roads

Take me home country roads

very interesting question of ethics