1951 Gibson super 300 advice needed

[Jabberwocky]

I know it’s 1940’s-50’s Gibson S-300 A-2200. Can anyone tell me more about these and what they may be worth? It’s been in the family for a long time.

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You have got a primo example, my friend. The original case looks clean and intact, the lacquer is unchecked, the fretboard and frets look clean with lots of life left. I have seen one in slightly less great condition as yours asking for $5600 and that was in 2012. The case, being so clean and original, alone is worth about $800 or more to a collector

I paid $4800 for mine with checked lacquer and all. I didn't want the original case as it was old and worn with no padding left. Collectors would decry that as being stupid but I am not a collector; an old case that could not ensure safe delivery of the Super 300-which is what I care about-was useless to me. I swapped the old original case for a Cedar Creek Super 400 case with thick padding. Truth be known, I probably paid $1000 too much.

This is a prime example of Under-The-Bed condition. It looks as if it was played once and then stored away since 1951. Time capsule guitar. If you asked me, $6500 today would not be too much to ask for it and the case. Given its early 1951 provenance and clean condition you might even ask for more.

Why not pay $50 and get an assessment of value from Gruhn's Guitars or Carter's Vintage Guitars? You could even consign the guitar to either one for sale, allow them to make their commission and not have to deal with shady riffraff buyers on your own. They can fetch a better price than you can on your own, seeing that you are inexperienced with the Super 300. And they have the clientele looking for vintage Gibson archtops. ebay, Craigslist and Reverb are full of sketchy buyers who sometimes just want to try out stuff with no real intention of keeping things. In you are in Boston, I recommend consigning it to The Music Emporium.

Be careful packing it for shipping. The large headstock is very close to touching the wall of the thinly lined case. You have to ensure you have lots of butcher's paper packed under and over the headstock to prevent it from moving during shipping. You don't want a headstock break.

Very nice bit of treasure. Congrats! Hope you fetch a nice price for it.