I bought this brush around two years or so ago for $2.50 at an antique store, I used it a couple times but my son has had it displayed at his house most of the time. It has no markings on it so I have no idea who it was made by, although I think it was probably made professionally because it had a solid rubber cup inside the bore hole that the knot was glued in. I tried to save the cup but it was so brittle it broke apart when I was taking out the old knot. I stripped the old finish off, stained it with Minwax oak and applied seven coats of Minwax spray polyurethane. I like this stuff because it can be applied very thinly and it doesn't give a real hard, slick finish to the wood. It still feels like wood and you can even feel the grain in a couple of places. I sprayed the inside of the hole to seal it and also used a Q-tip to cover the entire surface area with Liquid Nails silicone adhesive so hopefully it will keep the water out. The knot is a 22mm Omega boar from TGN. All in all I was very pleased with the outcome, and plan on giving it back to my son. Before: After: