Three Mandolins – by Ken Ratcliff, owner and builder of Silver Angel Mandolins http://www.silverangelmandolins.com/
I’ve been working in Lincoln quite a bit recently. A couple of weeks ago, I walked past a branch of Cash Converters in the city and noticed 2 mandolins in the window. I thought this was a bit unusual, so I tweeted about it, which elicited a number of replies, several of which speculated that there may be a sad story about how they got there.
And then, a few days ago, I walked past the same shop again and the 2 mandolins had been joined by a third. The story gets even sadder.
So, help me tell that story. How did 3 mandolins come to be in the Lincoln branch of Cash Converters?
John Popham's Random Musings 
Well… I’m no Miss Marple but I did a little bit of investigating on this and I have discovered that on Tuesday 5th Feb 2013, Dundee’s edition of The Courier reported the theft of a mandolin and a set of bongo drums from a music shop in Dundee…!!! If a third mandolin suddenly appeared in Lincoln Cash Converters just a few days ago, then might I suggest a telephone call to crimestoppers might be in order? http://www.thecourier.co.uk/news/local/dundee/instruments-stolen-in-raid-on-dundee-music-shop-1.67367
Oh and just to let you know… Joan Hickson, the English actress of theatre, film and television, famed for playing Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple… happens to be one of my relations! Yes, my maiden name was indeed Hickson!!
Yes, but have you factored in the stolen Scottish mandolins AND mandolincamp that’s taking place in the next few days? http://www.mandolincafe.com/news/publish/mandolins_001528.shtml
Do I hadn’t. That’s amazing.
I do, however, know a song about a stolen mandolin http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zig8RBqrAo