Guild M 20 with Open Book Headstock

[Guildlover23]

Hello friends,
I just found and purchased a Guild M-20 all Mahogany acoustic with the open book headstock and the Hoboken made label inside. The serial is #1699. From Guild's archive website the indications would mean it was made in 1954. However, I've seen on this forum someone from the Netherlands comment that his research shows it's from 1959. Can anyone here clarify the year it was made? Pictures included. The amazing part of this story is I found it in a thrift shop for $10. Crazy!
Pics attached.

 

[AcornHouse]

That someone in the Netherlands is mostly likely Hans Moust, who wrote the book about Guild guitars. You can well believe what he says.
It is a known issue that some of these early M-20s had 4 digit serial numbers out of sequence from the rest of Guild’s numbering at the time. That label is known as the “Ghost” label and was only used in 1959 and 1960. (Also, Guild did not move to Hoboken until 1956-7, so 1954 isn’t even a possibility.)

 

[mavuser]

wow $10 that is my kind of M-20, and my kind of thrift shop! congrats and enjoy

 

[JohnW63]

I need to frequent thrift shops!

 

[GGJaguar]

Welcome to LTG and congrats your cool '59 thrift shop find!

 

[Guildlover23]

That someone in the Netherlands is mostly likely Hans Moust, who wrote the book about Guild guitars. You can well believe what he says.
It is a known issue that some of these early M-20s had 4 digit serial numbers out of sequence from the rest of Guild’s numbering at the time. That label is known as the “Ghost” label and was only used in 1959 and 1960. (Also, Guild did not move to Hoboken until 1956-7, so 1954 isn’t even a possibility.)

Thank you Chris. Very helpful.

 

[Guildlover23]

wow $10 that is my kind of M-20, and my kind of thrift shop! congrats and enjoy

Thank you!

 

[Guildlover23]

Welcome to LTG and congrats your cool '59 thrift shop find!

Thank you!

 

[West R Lee]

Guildlover, I'll give you $20 for it, and pay shipping to my house.

West

 

[adorshki]

Hello friends,
I just found and purchased a Guild M-20 all Mahogany acoustic with the open book headstock and the Hoboken made label inside. The serial is #1699. From Guild's archive website the indications would mean it was made in 1954. However, I've seen on this forum someone from the Netherlands comment that his research shows it's from 1959. Can anyone here clarify the year it was made? Pictures included. The amazing part of this story is I found it in a thrift shop for $10. Crazy!
Pics attached.

Holy hotrods Batman, (and welcome aboard Guildlover23!) talk about a "barn find"!

Great intro with pics too. I suppose it took a heavy depreciation hit for the missing bridge pins? (Good thing they didn't realize that was more than offset by an original correctly-oriented TRC!)

 

[Guildlover23]

Guildlover, I'll give you $20 for it, and pay shipping to my house.

West

Wow West! What an offer! I'd double my money!

 

[Guildlover23]

Holy hotrods Batman, (and welcome aboard Guildlover23!) talk about a "barn find"!

Great intro with pics too. I suppose it took a heavy depreciation hit for the missing bridge pins? (Good thing they didn't realize that was more than offset by an original correctly-oriented TRC!)

Thanks Al!

 

[Guildlover23]

Holy hotrods Batman, (and welcome aboard Guildlover23!) talk about a "barn find"!

Great intro with pics too. I suppose it took a heavy depreciation hit for the missing bridge pins? (Good thing they didn't realize that was more than offset by an original correctly-oriented TRC!)

Welcome to LTG and congrats your cool '59 thrift shop find!

Thank you!

 

[West R Lee]

Wow West! What an offer! I'd double my money!

100% pure profit!

West

 

[walrus]

Excellent post #1, you had me casually reading it then you hit me hard with the price at the end!

Congratulations! That is the deal of the year, and it will be very hard to beat!

walrus

 

[adorshki]

100% pure profit!

West

Too late, he knows about the TRC now.

 

[Minnesota Flats]

$10?!

Go to your room!!!

 

[adorshki]

$10?!

Go to your room!!!

Don't forget he's still gotta replace those bridge pins.

 

[jp]

Lordy lordy! What an amazing find for $10. And the truss rod cover is mounted correctly!

 

[jeffcoop]

Wow, what a find!