Dating Martin Ukuleles

Nuprin

Nuprin

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A customer brought an old vintage Martin into our shop today to value it and possibly sell it.

From what I can tell, I believe it's from the 1920's but figured I would check with the rest of you first.

It is stamped on the back with C.F. Martin & Co. Nazareth, PA. It has the same stamp on the inside of the soundhole. It has no front decal (and the headstock looks like it might be too short for a decal so I don't believe it peeled off at some point). It has wooden violin style friction tuners. It also has bar frets rather than T frets.

I believe it is a style 1...it has some type of top binding...very similar in color to the mahogany body...maybe rosewood? It also has a 2 dot fret marker at the 7th fret.

It does have some wear...a crack in the front and back which has been repaired. The binding is separating a little at the lower bout. The binding has also broken off on the left side of the lower bout. It also looks as if the fretboard has deteriorated a bit where it meets the body.

Any extra insight you all could provide would be appreciated. Also, any ideas as to how much it might be worth would be helpful.

Pictures (taken with iPhone...sorry for the quality):

93D287F4-1187-4114-94F7-AB99D264338F-11720-0000051574C2B454.jpg


DF21F0D1-9CF1-4840-9AFF-409A8BD00FF5-11720-0000051593FE1EC6.jpg


A3D2ACE6-EE32-469F-9A4C-DAB3F7FAACB8-11720-00000515826B8C66.jpg


E20E6684-2972-404F-914D-F6B4E7DA7BD5-11720-0000051588C25F64.jpg
 
A couple of pictures of the problem areas with the binding:

FA22E83A-C6B3-46A6-81C4-B07250CB08F8-11720-0000051599A9FCB3.jpg


677C7E0A-7FFF-4B06-954E-23BC021B6E01-11720-000005159ED2AE36.jpg
 
The clock is running...
 
My guess would be early 1920s because of the boxwood nut and saddle.
 
hmgberg said:
My guess would be early 1920s because of the boxwood nut and saddle.
Click to expand...

That would be my guess too. I can't remember when they switched from the boxwood, but I know I've usually only seen that on the models from the teens. But the ones I've seen from the teens had the dots at different frets (off the top of my head, I can't remember where!). So early twenties makes sense to me. Unfortunately, the wooden tuners aren't as big a dating help as you'd think, because I've seen some Style 1s from the WWII years that used them, probably because of material rationing.
 
Chris Tarman said:
That would be my guess too. I can't remember when they switched from the boxwood, but I know I've usually only seen that on the models from the teens. But the ones I've seen from the teens had the dots at different frets (off the top of my head, I can't remember where!). So early twenties makes sense to me. Unfortunately, the wooden tuners aren't as big a dating help as you'd think, because I've seen some Style 1s from the WWII years that used them, probably because of material rationing.
Click to expand...

When first they were made in the late teens, they had no position markers. The first 200 had serial numbers. Next the position markers were on the 5th, 7th, and 9th frets. Eventually they had markers on the 5th, 7th, and 10th. I cannot find any definitive answers to questions about when these changes were made.
 
hmgberg said:
When first they were made in the late teens, they had no position markers. The first 200 had serial numbers. Next the position markers were on the 5th, 7th, and 9th frets. Eventually they had markers on the 5th, 7th, and 10th. I cannot find any definitive answers to questions about when these changes were made.
Click to expand...
I've got a Style 2 that I've been told was from the late '20s. It has the position marker on the 10th fret.
 
uke4ia said:
I've got a Style 2 that I've been told was from the late '20s. It has the position marker on the 10th fret.
Click to expand...

Yes, by the late 1920s, that position marker was moved from the 9th to the 10th. By the late 1920s, the finish on the lower styles was also nitrocellulose; earlier ukes had shellac finishes.
 
It would be my guess the date of this ukulele is between 1918 and 1920. I recall reading somewhere that it was generally believed that the fret marker positions on Martin ukes changed from 5, 7,and 9 to 5, 7 and 10 in or about 1920.
 
I would agree with Rick, I can't seem to find the site now or maybe it was on the Martin forum but the boxwood nut and saddle were discontinued in the early 20's, I think that I've seen both '22 and a later year quoted but all before '25. Also I thought that the nitrocellulose finish came on in '26 or '27 as did metal tuners. At any rate it is an early Martin, early 20's at the latest. YMMV. g2
 
I dated a Kiwaya once and got to second base. Dating a Martin, though, is going to be different. Martins are stuck up prudes.
 
Last edited:
didgeridoo2 said:
Lol. Not surprising you went there. Crossed my mind too.
Click to expand...

Yep, I thought about it, too. lol

Too bad the uke was dropped. The crack on the top and bottom seem to be directly aligned with each other. That bottom seam looks pretty lose as a result. It needs to be repaired to get it in good condition for a long-term investment.
 
coolkayaker1 said:
I dated a Kiwaya once and got to second base. Dating a Martin, though, is going to be different. Martins are stuck up prudes.
Click to expand...

You're right, it's unlikely that a vintage Martin's would ever date someone who discussed getting to second base <g>.
 
OldePhart said:
The clock is running...
Click to expand...

coolkayaker1 said:
I dated a Kiwaya once and got to second base. Dating a Martin, though, is going to be different. Martins are stuck up prudes.
Click to expand...

And the clock stops at 10 hours, 26 minutes... :biglaugh:

Edit to add: Oh, and the comment that I valiantly suppressed the urge to make was, "that's illegal in 47 states..."

John
 
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