Wizard Banjo Ukulele c.1920's w/Hand-painted Head

23 Skiddoo!  This lovely, vintage 1920s era Wizard Concert Banjolele (ukulele banjo, banuke, whatever!) is a delightful find for anyone who is a collector of early 20th Century instruments or American Folk Art.  

This li'l Wizard is in very good condition with only the slightest evidence of wear: The frets and rosewood dyed (pear wood?) fingerboard show no signs of wear, all 17 brackets and rim hardware are functioning, the mahogany neck is straight and its binding intact, and the decorative wooden inlay around the rim is also intact, however one of the fingerboard neck dots is cracked.  The four original tuners are tight and functioning.  The instrument's nut is bone,  its bridge has been replaced with a new maple/ebony Grover bridge and it has been restrung with new Aquila banjo-uke strings.  

"Wizard" was a brand name owned and sold by Bruno & son of NY, but Bruno was a distributor and not a manufacturer.  This particular banjo uke was manufactured by Stromberg-Voisinet (SV) of Chicago. In 1931 SV changed their name to Kay Musical Instruments! 

The highlight, however, of this little Wizard is its original 8" skin head that has a colorful, hand-painted period graphic depicting the Casino Poolside scene, replete with majestic coconut palm trees, a Flapper bathing beauty and a windmill - all trademarks of early Miami, Florida's premier resort hotel, The Roney Plaza!

This little Banjo Uke is a JOY to see . . . and PLAY!