Bacon Professional FF Special Grand Concert 5-String Banjo 1910-1915

I am pleased to offer this incredible Bacon Professional FF special grand concert 5-string banjo.  This banjo dates to 1910-1915.  Comes with a very vintage case (don't know if original or not).  The case is very rough on the outside but pretty solid on the inside (please note that one side of the leather handle has broken).

Full disclosure - I am not a banjo expert so I sought the advice of banjo experts.  Please see their consensus below.

According to actual banjo experts: 

"This is a Bacon Special Grand Concert model from circa 1910-1915. The five string neck is original as are the patent tuners. The Wilmot- Wood resonator is an after market accessory as is the Grover bridge. The tailpiece is also not original to the banjo. Condition appears decent with playing wear.

This beautiful banjo was the top of the Bacon line in 1913.  It features fancy pearl inlays everywhere, a finely carved heel, pearl tuning knobs, and inlaid marquetry on the rim.  The beautiful tone produced by the Bacon professional tone ring and resonator has made these banjos a favorite of players for many years."

Some History - This banjo was built for Fredrick J Bacon of Forest Dale, Vermont, around 1914 by the Vega company. Fred Bacon was a very well known professional banjo player who achieved the ultimate in his time’s mass media exposure – recording for Thomas Edison’s Phonograph Company. The Bacon Banjo Company was formed by Bacon and his wife at their home in Forest Dale, VT in 1906. The banjos were actually built to order by various companies, but primarily by Vega. In 1914, the celluloid Bacon label seen in one of the rear views here appeared in the company catalog. The Bacon Professional FF Special was produced around 1914.