There doesn't appear to be much information about him. From some quick reading, and assuming it's the same guy, he was an Italian immigrant to Chicago and made mandolins and guitars in the 20s and 30s. He appears to have made more mandolins and I can find no guitars made by him.
Without more information, I can't even offer an approximation of value, should you choose to sell or insure it.
Similar guitars sell in the $1,000 to $1,300 range and new harp guitars cost considerably more than that. There doesn't appear to be a huge market for vintage harp guitars.
This luthier is seemingly not well known, which makes me think that the value is probably at one end or the other - and more probably on the lower end. There's some chance that it's highly sought after and a great rarity - worth goodly amounts of cash. The more probable is that it's near the lower end as the luthier is not well known and doesn't have a grand reputation.
You didn't solicit that advice, but I figured I'd share.
Do you play it?
I haven't played it in 30 years. I didn't want to scratch the finish with a pick. I don't finger pick well, except on a few rare songs like 4 + 20. The strings must be nasty.
This gives me the chance to toss some fun content into a reply! This is here for reference and not an effort to get you to change your mind.
Your comment contains two hotly debated topics with guitarists.
First, the word 'pick guard' is a bit of a misnomer. The finish on (most) guitars is harder than a plastic pick and the scratches are generally understood to have been done with fingernails - more so than anything else. It is generally seen as fact and science-based and we still call 'em pick guards. In flamenco (and a very small amount of classical) there's golpe, which is to use your finger and knock on the guitar. There's then a golpeadore, which is usually a very thin piece of sticky, clear plastic that is to protect the finish.
Second, and this one is not factual but very subjective, what good is a guitar that you can't play? I have guitars that I think are too valuable to be played frequently but other people will argue and say that a guitar that isn't played is a useless guitar. They generally make exceptions for museum pieces and guitars that are known to be fragile. But, people like to argue this one back and forth.
I don't own a harp guitar. I probably should. I don't do much composition and there's not much call for a harp guitar in covers. There are no popular songs, that I know of, that were originally recorded with a harp guitar.
I sent to Gregg Miner with five pictures. He replied that he would use them.
(post is archived)