It has nil cash value now, just as it will in the future. The banjo is a old, inexpensive one, likely to have been made by Buckbee or another volume producer, and sold mail-order. BUT, I can tell you for sure and certain that you, too, will change with time. If I'm coming across as just another geezer, it's because I am one. My family had relatively few unique artifacts, and all are lost now because the older generations "didn't care," and I was too young at the time. I'm talking about what you MAY think when, as i did, you become a middle age guy and realize you didn't have the sense of history and maturity to make the decisions in a way that would be pleasing to you down the road. It's not about what Grandpa thinks, or even what you think. I've been a full time professional luthier for better than four decades now, and I'd leave it alone if it were MY great-grandfather's banjo. There's no downside to hanging it on the wall permanently, or waiting for better clarity on its meaning. I'm guessing that I'm your grandfather's age, and I'm speaking from the "been there, done that, now regret it" standpoint when it comes to having been given custody of some artifacts at too young an age. I don't mean to discourage you, but consider how long this has been in the family and what it might mean to your descendants, or even yourself when you get older. Turning toward "making it work" for a modern player, it looks to me like the sort of old timer with a dyed, crumbly fingerboard that may need to be replaced in order to get good playability. That kind of work is definitely not suited to a class environment, and is not often done on such modest instruments. My first impression is that you are likely to have some "heavy lifting" ahead if you define restoration as I do, meaning "minimally invasive work, salvaging as many elements as possible to preserve originality."
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