The world-renowned Martin Guitar Company was established in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, in 1833 and quickly became known as one of the finest makers of acoustic instruments anywhere. By the mid-1910s, with ukuleles enjoying a boom in popularity, the company began producing them as well, making the bodies of mahogany, a tropical hardwood that produced a sound almost as crisp and bright as that of the Hawaiian-made koa ukes.

The Martin ukuleles proved to be highly successful both on the mainland and in Hawaii, where many musicians considered them superior in craftsmanship even to the best local instruments. In 1920, Martin began making ukuleles from imported Hawaiian koa as well as mahogany and production soared, reaching a peak of more than 14,000 instruments in 1926 during a decade when the company made almost twice as many ukuleles as guitars.

Martin continued to make ukuleles from 1916 until the mid-1970s, after which a ukulele could only be special ordered from its Pennsylvania factory. Consequently, older Martin ukuleles, especially the koa models, have become highly sought-after among musicians and collectors and some are now worth thousands of dollars.

Ukuleles from Martin came in five styles numbered 0 through 3 and also 5. It remains something of a mystery why there was no style number 4. When koa began to be used the style number was followed by a letter—M for a mahogany instrument and K for koa. Styles 3 and 5 were more elaborate in decoration and trim, aimed at professional players and distinguished by a fretboard that runs all the way down to the soundhole. Early models can be further identified by diamond-shaped inlays on their fingerboards, whereas later ones have small round dot inlays. The Martin ukuleles on display at the Museum are examples of Style 1, 2 and Style 3 and are mahogany instruments.

Fascinating Clip from Antiques Roadshow on a 1928 Martin 5 Uke