Aladar de Vékey

Aladar de Vékey
Aladar de Vékey was a music shop owner in Bournemouth, (reputedly a Hungarian Nobleman but the 1911 census shows him as having been born in Australia as Aladar Ernest Cyril Stewart), in the UK in the pre WWII years, (I have read it opened in 1910).

As well as selling other brands of Ukulele in his shop, (he is supposed to have been the first person to import Martin instruments into the UK), he created his own brand for Ukuleles. They all had Aladar de Vékey inlayed on the headstock, a sound hole label saying the were "Foreign" and with the model number written in by hand, were a small, (16in), Tenor size and had a fretboard than meets the body at the 10th fret which gave them a distinctive elongated look. The Ukuleles came in 4 styles, with 1 and 2 quite plain with a standard headstock and an oval bridge, and 3 and 4 being increasingly ornate with a slotted headstock and more triangular bridge. They were made in the Germany by Jose Fernandes of Saxony, (I have heard from Aladar de Vékey's Grandson that some of the inlay work for the 4 and maybe the 3 was done in the Netherlands?), and have a reputation for being very good quality.