Beare and Sons the Michigan

I saw this come up in a proper auction in Manchester and the auction house didn't ship so invite it. If I had won it then I would have either had to find a local shippers to collect it and ship it to me, (and that service would have cost more than the Ukulele itself), or drive up to Manchester, (which is a loooong way from Ukulele Corner), to collect it so I watched the auction but let it pass; after all I can't invite every Ukulele to Ukulele Corner. However...

The person that did buy it had it up on eBay that very evening for a fiver  more than he paid and a very reasonable shipping price. It also had a better condition description saying that there was a crack in the back. Even so it's a very nice looking, Regal made, Beare & Sons "the Michigan" and the starting price was still very low. I bid a couple of quid more that the starting price, (and with the crack I wasn't going to go higher), but only one other person bid and they only bid a pound more, so I won and now, with a much lower overall, (including shipping), price that if I had bought it at the auction myself. 

Now I have it I can see it's slightly more damaged that was suggested; there are 2 cracks on the back and a bit of the bridge that holds the top A string has broke off, (at the moment it's still working but there is very little tension on the string so I fully expect it to slip if I try and tune it up). Neither of these extra problems affect the look of the Ukulele and to be honest it was mainly for the looks I got it. 

As I said it's a very nice Regal made 1930's sunburst Soprano, as it was imported to the UK at the time by Beare & Sons there's no "Standard Approved" label, (the UK didn't have any truck with the "approving body" or the standard), but a lovely "Made in the USA" stamp on the back of the headstock, (as the UK did want area of origin on things at the time - British Made, Empire Made or Foreign Made as a minimum but the USA was proud to take the credit/blame for its exports to the UK). All in all I think it is very nice and I am glad it has come to Ukulele Corner. I will try and get the rear cracks fixed and get it in tune and playable but it will probably spend most of its time just being decorative.