Ukulele Identification. Please help. (I love these posts!)

I love trying to identify everybody else's ukes, but this one has me stumped.

What kind of round stamp is that inside?

Half of the label is still attached and the round stamp can be seen. I found the other half of the label inside the ukulele.

I picked it up a thrift store. So, I don't have any info on it.

Whaddaya think?

Thanks!

Boy, it looks like a very good Martin copy, maybe kinda old....let's see if mmstan will chime in. He usually knows.

Stan says it looks like a Chicago Ukulele. Maybe around $200.00 new, which is quite a tidy sum for a 1950's ukulele.

A quick google search of Hawaiian Ukulele Shattinger Piano and Music Company lead me to this conversation that may be of some help.

http://www.taropatch.net/forum/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=7454

Great job everybody! Thanks! The link up above wouldn’t let me see the pictures, but I searched around and found them.

I think I found a winner on Jake's website.



https://jakewildwood.blogspot.com/2013/12/c1920-regal-made-tonk-brothers-mahogany.html[/URL]

The stamp located by Xtradust pointing to T.B. Co. as the maker seems to be a match for the fuzzy stamp on the ukulele in the original posting. See the following listing from RetroFret: http://www.retrofret.com/products.asp?ProductID=5228. According to RetroFret, T.B. Co. stands for Tonk Brothers, a Chicago company. RetroFret speculates that the ukulele on their listing was made by Slingerland c. 1918. Notice also the connection between what they believe is a spurious claim regarding Hawaiian origin and litigation involving the territory of Hawaii. According to Tranquada and King in The Ukulele, it was around this time that the "Made in Hawaii" tabu mark was trademarked to distinguish Hawaiian-made ukuleles from their mainland equivalents. Regardless of its value as a vintage instrument, it's interesting from an historical perspective.

Thanks Jerome! That really helps tie things together. Tonk Bros. was a distributor and wouldn’t have been the maker.

I can imagine what the Hawaiians thought of “Hawaiian Ukulele” made in Chicago!

I agree. I love to know the history and every time I find another old unnamed ukulele, I learn a little more.

What a sweet find! :shaka: