1949 Epiphone Century Archtop Guitar

I have a post war Epiphone archtop that was actually the precursor to the later, more popular, Century that came out in the following years. This is a very rare guitar. That is only eclipsed by the amazingly preserved paint job. I have never seen or owned a guitar this old that looked this good. You would think it was a reissue available to purchase at one of the large box stores. The downside is that it does need a neck set. The neck is loose in the pocket. I do however believe that is all original with the exception of the tuners. The pickguard is missing and there is a sliver of veneer that fell off the headstock but other than that it is in remarkable shape. I have not done a "tap test" on the pickup itself but the the pickup is giving output to the jack. This would be a great example to restore. Comes with non-original Epiphone HSC.