assessments & appraisals
WHAT DO PEOPLE MEAN BY A "FREE VALUATION"?
I am always happy to extend the courtesy of a free assessment to anyone who has found an instrument and requires a little more information. I follow a model that is familiar to anyone who has seen Antiques Roadshow on the television. Traditionally these would be ‘verbal assessments’ but with the advent of the internet and enquiries from all over the world, things have changed a little bit. Under normal circumstances it is possible to look at an instrument by photographs sent by email to assess whether it merits specialist attention and if it is potentially valuable. However the purpose of a free assessment is to provide a basic opinion, and not to give a valuation or attribution which requires research and physical access to the instrument. Nor can it be relied upon in any way as an assertion of fact. In essence, I am able either to indicate that the instrument is worthy of closer study, or to give you practical advice for finding a market if it requires no special attention at all. If you do have something of greater merit, this offers the first step towards proper identification and bringing it to market. The service is discretionary, but I am pleased to help, and sometimes something truly remarkable turns up! Contact me through the link below.
Whilst it can be very pleasurable to share my knowledge on an occasional basis, I do work on a principle of fair-use. I reserve the right to charge a fee for repeated calls upon my time, and I undertake assessment purely at my own discretion.
SO, YOU THINK YOU'VE FOUND A STRADIVARI?
Through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries millions of violins were made that paid homage to the models and of master makers violin makers such as Stradivarius whose fame had become popularised by contemporary literature.
Across the world these were available from mail-order suppliers and vast networks of music shops. Remember that before the age of broadcasting, violins were about as commonplace in households as gramophones or radios.
… OK, thats a slightly dated comparison, but you get the point.
To the people of the time, owning a “Stradivarius model” violin was no different from having a fridge-magnet of the Mona Lisa just because you enjoy the painting, or having a limited edition reproduction of a Harry Potter magic wand because you like casting spells in …
… I cannot confirm or deny whether I own either.
If you really have no idea about the violin you are looking at, the chances are you will find a label of one of the following inside: Stradivarius, Guarneri del Gesú, Nicolaus Amatus, Jacobus Stainer, Gasparo da Salo, Giovanni Paolo Maggini, although there are many other spurious labels also found in instruments. Most copies use the most convenient printer’s font, so simply looking at how the letters compare to an original example (left) is enough to put your mind at ease.
… this is part of the reference works that we use where necessary, here providing photographic samples of Stradivari’s authentic labels and handwriting.
I provide free assessments because there are enough times where an instrument is worthwhile, and I am able to help to bring it to market. However, many times when people hope they have found a priceless heirloom it is simply because they don’t know the things about the violin that their ancestors knew when they bought it. Your great-grandparents might find it a hoot to think their $5.00 mail-order Stradivarius outfit is mistaken for a priceless antique.
… and remember, if you find the process confusing, it takes years of training, study and experience to competently assess an instrument. Even the mythical Sherlock Holmes was mistaken when he thought he’d found a Stradivari in a pawn shop.
