david, We have several similar violins in our collection. My understanding is that there was a mail-order company around the turn of the century which sold voilins with this type of label. The violins are not well made and crack easily and lose pieces. My guess is that is what you have. They were popular in the Midwest. Can't give you a sitation because I heard it as an anecdote from a colleague. I'd like to get more details on this myself. Sarah Nunes Curator San Jose Historical Museum <[log in to unmask]>