NUD!

[spoox]

So this arrived yesterday late afternoon. I won it on eBay--no other bidders. So far one of only two known National steel long body Triolian ukes with a screened cover plate.
This would date to late '29 or very early 1930. Both the German silver and steel Triolian tenors, mandolins and ukes at first used this style cover, but in 1930 National switched to the ones that are still used today with drilled holes as they are less time consuming to manufacture. If I can't find a hand rest, David Flood, John Dopyera's apprentice says he can make one. I credit (or blame) Canard with his Appreciation Post for causing this thing to magically appear. I had been struggling with trying to figure a way I could afford to buy that Orpheum 12 string but my first love shall always be pre-war resonators and I actually could afford this!
Although Guild 12 strings are soooo close...

 

[Canard]

Very sweet!

 

[merlin6666]

Very cool. Is that a 19“ scale length, so a quite big uke? I think the baritone sizes only came out in late 40s. Tuned in dgbe?

 

[walrus]

I love it!

walrus

 

[spoox]

In one of the catalogs National actually called them tenors. By 1931 all their ukuleles became small body sopranos.
Back then it most likely would have been tuned A-D-F#-B which was the standard tuning in the '20s and '30s.