Simply described as Lot 457. Gibson banjolele in case. It was bought at the auction
by the first president of the GFS, Bill Logan and eventually sold to GFS member, the
late Terry Wallin from Birmingham.
This instrument is now coming up for auction on 29 June - 01 July 2017 at Hansons
Auctioneers and Valuers at Etwall, Derbyshire.
Now described in far more detail than in the original auction in 1961, it is allocated lot
number 563 with an estimated value of £20,000 to £30,000.
Formby owned 19 instruments and it is known that this one was little used either in
his films or on stage.
The descriptions states:
Lot Number: 563
George Formby (British, 1904-1961). His Gibson concert banjolele, serial No.132,
four strings, triple mother of pearl inlaid discs to the neck, the skin held in place by by
sixteen clamps, length 55cm Provenance: The banjolele was purchased at auction in
1972 by a Birmingham member of The George Formby Society, the late Mr Wallin. It
was purchased by the previous owner Mr Bill Logan (President of the George Formby
Society) as Lot 457 from J. Entwistle & Co of Lytham St Annes, Lancashire on 21st
June 1961. The said Auctioneers were the agents duly appointed to dispose of the
effects of the late George Formby Esq. The purchase of the banjo by Mr Wallin in
1972 for 310 was covered in the Erdington News with an image of the new owner with
the instrument in question. Offered with the paperwork provenance of authenticity,
photographs of Mr Wallin and copies of The Vellum, including the Spring 2000 issue
featuring this banjolele Condition Report: Wear in accordance with age and usage
Estimate: £20000.00 - £30000.00
One of nineteen owned by the star
TERRY WALLIN WITH LOT 457
This is a article from a past issue of the
Society’s magazine, The Vellum which
shows the letter Bill Logan wrote to Terry
Wallin when Terry purchased the
instrument.
The instrument indicated by the red
outline is the instrument which is
available in the auction. This images is
taken from the original auction of Lot 457
in 1961 - click the image for better view.
Thanks to Lewis Clifton for his help with this page
The auction has taken place and after great interest from the media both in the UK and
around the world, the Gibson was sold to a person residing in the UK for a fee of
£28,500. Terry Wallin paid £310 for the instrument when he bought it from the first
President of the George Formby Society, Bill Logan in 1972.
Auctioneer Charles Hanson said a round of applause echoed around the room as it was sold.
"It was a great honour to handle it. It was quite a moment," he added.
"The room gave a round of applause. It's memories, as an auctioneer, you don't forget.
"It is simply a banjolele which ordinarily is worth maybe £400, but with the provenance, with who it belonged to, with
that story, fascination... We pumped on a guide of between £20,000 and £30,000 and thankfully it came good."
The BBC News website has created a nice page on the event but has incorrectly stated that a third Gibson realised
£72,000 when it was bought by Queen lead guitarist Brian May in 2008. In fact Brian May bought George Formby’s
most famous instrument, the Abbott which he used both in films and in his stage shows (amongst other instruments).
Simply described as
Lot 457. Gibson
banjolele in case. It
was bought at the
auction
by the first president
of the GFS, Bill
Logan and
eventually sold to
GFS member, the
late Terry Wallin from
Birmingham.
This instrument is
now coming up for
auction on 29 June -
01 July 2017 at
Hansons
Auctioneers and
Valuers at Etwall, Derbyshire.
Now described in far more detail than in the original auction in 1961, it
is allocated lot number 563 with an estimated value of £20,000 to
£30,000.
Formby owned 19 instruments and it is known that this one was little
used either in his films or on stage.
The descriptions states:
Lot Number: 563
George Formby (British, 1904-1961). His Gibson concert banjolele,
serial No.132, four strings, triple mother of pearl inlaid discs to the
neck, the skin held in place by by sixteen clamps, length 55cm
Provenance: The banjolele was purchased at auction in 1972 by a
Birmingham member of The George Formby Society, the late Mr
Wallin. It was purchased by the previous owner Mr Bill Logan
(President of the George Formby Society) as Lot 457 from J. Entwistle
& Co of Lytham St Annes, Lancashire on 21st June 1961. The said
Auctioneers were the agents duly appointed to dispose of the effects of
the late George Formby Esq. The purchase of the banjo by Mr Wallin
in 1972 for 310 was covered in the Erdington News with an image of
the new owner with the instrument in question. Offered with the
paperwork provenance of authenticity, photographs of Mr Wallin and
copies of The Vellum, including the Spring 2000 issue featuring this
banjolele Condition Report: Wear in accordance with age and usage
Estimate: £20000.00 - £30000.00
One of 19 owned by the star
TERRY WALLIN WITH LOT 457
The instrument indicated by the red outline is the instrument which
is available in the auction. This images is taken from the original
auction of Lot 457 in 1961.
This is a article from a past
issue of the Society’s
magazine, The Vellum
which shows the letter Bill
Logan wrote to Terry Wallin
when Terry purchased the
instrument.
Thanks to Lewis Clifton for his help with this page
The auction has
taken place and
after great interest
from the media
both in the UK and
around the world,
the Gibson was
sold to a person
residing in the UK
for a fee of
£28,500. Terry
Wallin paid £310 for
the instrument
when he bought it
from the first
President of the
George Formby
Society, Bill Logan
in 1972.
Auctioneer Charles Hanson said a round of applause echoed around
the room as it was sold.
"It was a great honour to handle it. It was quite a moment," he
added.
"The room gave a round of applause. It's memories, as an
auctioneer, you don't forget.
"It is simply a banjolele which ordinarily is worth maybe £400, but
with the provenance, with who it belonged to, with that story,
fascination... We pumped on a guide of between £20,000 and
£30,000 and thankfully it came good."
The BBC News website has created a nice page on the event
but has incorrectly stated that a third Gibson realised £72,000
when it was bought by Queen lead guitarist Brian May in
2008. In fact Brian May bought George Formby’s most famous
instrument, the Abbott which he used both in films and in his
stage shows (amongst other instruments).
