Tone ring with no stamp

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H. C. Dobson Banjos

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For all things related to banjos by Henry C. Dobson.

113 Members, Created 11/28/2011 -

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From flngn on 11/14/2017 11:44:33 PM

I'm trying to identify a banjo. The neck is an HC Dobson (marked on the dowel and stamped on the strike plate). The spunover pot and donut tone-ring look like they're probably his as well (and I've assumed they were since I picked the banjo up). But neither the pot or the tone-ring are stamped. After comparing the ring with a Silver Bell tone ring that is stamped, I noticed that the shape wasn't exactly the same: the inner lip of the unstamped ring is doesn't quite come down as far as the other. So I started to wonder if it might be an imposter...

So my question is: are all HC Dobson Silver Bell tone rings stamped with his patent date?

3 Comments
	keqwow1 says: 11/14/2017 2:13:24 PM I by no means an expert and while I have several earlier Dobson banjos I don't yet have a Silver Bell but considering what I've seen of Dobson banjos, I would not be at all surprised to find variations in tone rings and stamps. It seems like they were constantly modifying pot designs and changing details here and there be it for a better tone or simply easier manufacturing.
	guywolff says: 11/14/2017 5:46:49 PM Mine was # 5005 .I could imagine they didn't get to stamp every single one they made .. The metal of the tone ring is silver in color and kind of more tension in the material than the modern ones(almost brittle) .Also the metal seems slightly peened ...
	flngn says: 11/17/2017 12:59:51 AM Thanks. Yes, the banjo has Dobson's stamps on the dowel stick as well as the strike plate. But I don't see any stamps on the rim or the tone-ring, which is why I wonder whether the pot and/or ring were from a separate source. I have no reason to think that (they certainly look old enough to my eye) other than the lack of patent stamps on those parts. So that's my question: are all HC Dobson Silver Bell tone rings stamped with his patent?
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