My grandfather bought this Gibson Kalamazoo four-string Tenor banjo shortly after he and my grandmother started dating in the mid/late '30s. As far as I can peg it's about a '36 model. It's all original, including the soft-shell case. Gibson started making inexpensive (not necessarily cheap) instruments during the Depression under the Kalamazoo name. They're not particularly rare or valuable. To me I just dig all the wear and grime obviously put on my my grandfather's hands after a hard day's work in the shipyards. Every 2 years or so I drag it out, tune it up, strum a couple chords, and put it back in the closet. Maybe my son will learn a little on it. It's easier to wield than a fullsize guitar.