It is also drop-dead gorgeous, as only this gracious, Victorian-era designed instrument can be.
In its earlier version this model is called the “Style A Professional” and it was, indeed, professional in every way possible. Its slide-on tailpiece cover is the fancy, engraved, “Lyon and Healy, Chicago” with a motif that involves considerable decorative etching. The front of the headstock has a black cover over the gears and the 8 steadfast tuners host black celluloid buttons. The pickguard is (this is not known to the vast majority of earth’s inhabitants) made of a material that you would never expect (more about this later). The top and back are bound in black with twin lines of ebony and spruce as decoration and the sides and back display the spruce and ebony line as well. The back of the neck, bisected by an ebony stripe (which shows wear including some striations in the wood on the bass side) is mahogany. The back of the mandolin is comprised of two bookmatched pieces of birds eye maple, the sides are a more curly maple, and they are, themselves, bookmatched. This illustrious model features the violin style headstock scroll and the two body points. Its condition is excellent minus, showing a small amount of arm wear mainly on the lower bass bout of the top, hand wear on the back of the neck, normal signs of use including dings and scratches.
Housed in a black period hard shell case, normally worn, that is likely original. #3225, Washburn/Lyon and Healy was one of the world's most elegant makers of mandolins.