Vintage Acoustic Guitar

Rare 1894 Martin model 120 acoustic guitar with original hand-tooled leather case!  This model is VERY rare!  Purchased from the grandson of the original owner (whose family still lives near Martin's Nazereth factory--copies of some correspondence with them regarding this guitar will be included for provenance) of a factory employee named Herbert Snyder who built the guitar himself and purchased it under the Martin employee purchase program.  The date and model of this guitar were researched and authenticated through Martin customer service via company ledgers retained to this day.  Pics of the Martin logo stamped on the neck block and bracing can be seen on Photobucket here--http://s151.photobucket.com/albums/s140/splungeviper/1894%20Martin%20120/  Features solid Brazillian Rosewood back and sides!.  The woodgrain is Quite striking! Just back from a setup with Silk and Steel strings and it plays and sounds great! From what I have been told the original owner/builder was really more of a craftsman than a musician, and his descendents were not musicians either, so in spite of being a 116 year-old instrument there is really no wear on the frets or ebony fretboard! There are NO breaks and no cracks in the top (soundboard) or back, although there are a couple of stable repaired cracks on one side and one on the other.  Cracks recently repaired by noted luthier Matt Rubendell (mattrubendell.com) who also reset the bridge, leveled the original frets and re-set a couple of them, replaced a couple of missing tuner buttons, matching them to the four remaining originals by antiquing the 2 replacements so well you can barely tell them apart!  Some stress marks on the tuner buttons (matched in the replacements) but they are quite solid and not brittle as Matt injected sealent into them to stabalize them.  Bridge pins replaced, although they are also very old.  No buckle wear, some light scratches, dings and pickwear, but far less than expected for a guitar from this era.  This guitar is in amazing condition for a guitar its age! Along with the condition of the frets one of the things that really impressed Matt was the pristine condition of the original French polish finish! This "size 1" model was the second-largest largest body size Martin was producing at the time this guitar was built.  Many of you reading this listing probably know that the largest body at this time was the style "O" and from there the size became smaller in reverse numerical order with 1 (like this one) being the next largest size and "2" the next and so on.  The "20" followning the 1 denotes the style.  The style 20 is referenced on page 20 in "The Martin Guitar Book" by Walter Carter.  Some of you my have noticed that this guitar is stamped "CF Martin New York" which is correct (detailed on page 21 of the aforementioned book) as Martin started his business in New York City and retained the New York stamp for years even after moving his factory to Nazereth PA where this guitar was crafted.  The hand-tooled leather case was manufactured in 1893 (stamped into the leather) and is an antique work of art in itself!  A great deal on a super rare Martin 120 in great condition with excellent provenance!  Buy it now!!! Shipping is 100 dollars with insurance included to the lower 48 states.  Local pickup is fine but item must still be paid for within 1 week and picked up within 1 week of payment.  Shipping costs on a case-by-case basis for the non-continental US (Alaska HI).   I will not ship this item without insurance.  For purchases paid for with Paypal I will take the item to my shippers within 2 business days of payment.   EBAY now requires that sellers specify a handling time. I DO take my items to my shippers within 2 business of receiving payment but the item does not always ship out the same day I drop it off as they are very busy and there can be complications that dleay shipping.  EBAY also now requires sellers to specify return policy and there are only TWO choices--returns accepted or NO returns!  I chose no returns as I am not selling my items on a trial basis.  However, should an item be proven to be significantly not as described I will consider taking a return if contacted within 24 hours of buyer receiveing item.  For payments made with e-check will wait for payment to consolidate in bank before shipping.  Please bid only if you are certain you will be able to pay for this item and do so within 1 week.  Local pickup is OK but item must be paid for within one week and picked up within 1 weeks of payment unless other arrangements are made prior to end of listing. No shipping to P.O. or S.P.O. boxes. International shipping rates are 150 dollars to Canada, 300 dollars to Europe/uk and 500 dollars to Asia/Japan/Australia.   My overseas international shipping is done only through UPS express air, which usually gets the item to its destination in less than a week. I will not use any other shipping method so please do not ask. I also will only ship items fully insured for the full value the item sells for, so the buyer will be responsible for paying any customs/duty fees for the full sale value. Again this is the only way I will ship, so please do not ask me to do otherwise. Feel free to ask questions about the item (OTHER than asking me to use different shipping methods!) and I will answer them to the best of my ability. I will ONLY ship this item signature required!!!