230.         $500

E. Howard & Co. “No. 5 Regulator” banjo, ca. 1860.  This appears to be an early banjo from the first E. Howard & Co. incarnation after the end of the Howard & Davis partnership in 1859. Most of the rosewood grain-painting is gone and we are down to cherry.  The throat and bottom glass are original/period and have been touched up; the dial glass is a replacement.  The case, door, and upper hinge are stamped ‘111’ and the bottom board has been replaced, likely due to a weight fall.  The dial is paper, likely original and unusual for an E. Howard banjo, and suggests that this clock was made soon after the breakup with Davis, where paper dials were used.  Note that this dial is clearly signed E. Howard & Co., Boston; the hands are likely original.  The movement is signed and running, regulated by a Howard pendulum stick and damascened bob, and driven by a proper iron weight.  There is a Howard pendulum tie-down on a wooden weight shield. AAC sold a similar example last summer for $950.  $500–$1000.