#DA-5042 is one of three instruments shipped on September 7, 1938 to South African Gibson dealer H. Polliack and Co., Ltd. and described in Gibson’s shipping ledgers as MB-11s with tenor banjo resonators. This example actually features the dark-stained maple neck and resonator of the MB-1 with the pearloid fingerboard and peghead overlay of the MB-11. The serial number (see Gibson banjo serial numbers vs. factory order numbers) is stamped on the back of the peghead; the back of the peghead also bears the “Made in the U.S.A.” stamp typical of export instruments, and the inside of the resonator features both a “Made in U.S.A.” sticker and the typical yellow label of H. Polliack and Co., Ltd. #DA-5042 remains in its original “red-line” #385 case by Geib.
Photos courtesy of Charlie Cushman.