What is a ukelin (violin-uke)?
A patent (#1,579,780) for the ukelin was filed in 1923 and awarded to Paul F. Richter in 1926. He assigned the patent to the Phonoharp Company which later merged with Oscar Schmidt International, Inc., of New Jersey. Ukelins were sold by various subsidiaries of Oscar Schmidt, including the International Music Corporation and the Manufacturers’ Advertising Company of New Jersey. Ukelins were mass-produced by the Oscar Schmidt Co. until production was finally stopped in 1964. Instruments similar to the ukelin were also sold by the Marxochime Colony of New Troy, Michigan, from about 1927 to 1972. These related instruments bore trade-names such as Violin-Uke (click here for a large image of a violin-uke), Hawaiian Art Uke, Pianolin, Sol-o-lin, Pianoette, and others. The purpose of the ukelin and its many derivative types was to combine into one compact instrument attributes of both the bowed violin and the plucked Hawaiian ukulele. Following numerically-coded music prepared specifically fo
