F.C. Wilkes 5-string banjo, Circa 1900 (pearl fingerboard)

This banjo is unmarked, but I have recently seen an identical banjo with a plate attributing its manufacture to F.C. Wilkes of England.  It features an ebony backstrap, a pearl heel cap, and a beautiful pearl-inlayed-into-pearl fingerboard.  I had previously attributed this banjo to Buckbee, but the hardware on this banjo does appear to be British.

 

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