Is My Violin a Stradivarius?

Several times a week, we have visits from customers who believe their violin is a Stradivarius. (Or Guarnerius, or Amati, etc.). They come in rubbing their hands together, already planning what they're going to do with all that money that's going to come from the sale.

Once again, we have to bring a cloud of darkness over the customer's head. Alas -- it's not a Stradivarius. So what are your chances of finding a "real" Strad?

Errmm, pretty slight. 

Antonio Stradivarius was a luthier (one who makes various stringed instruments, including violins, violas, and cellos as well as harps, lutes, etc.) who lived in the late 1600s/early 1700s. He was said to have made over thousand instruments.

Those instruments sell now for as much us $3.5 million. So treasure hunters like you (and me) love to search for them. But the Stradivarius instruments have already been accounted for; there aren't anymore to find.

History note -->All of the great named makers all lived in the 17th and 18th centuries;  Niccolò Amati lived around the corner from Stradivari, and was his teacher. In the other direction lived the notable Francesco Ruggeri. Is it any wonder that Cremona became known as the heart of violin making?

 Back to the subject at hand....

So when you find a violin at an auction, in an attic, or while you're digging around in a trash bin, if it says it is the Stradivarius, it is probably a copy. There are hundreds of thousands of copies of the Stradivarius design, and many of them have a Strad label.

Why Does the Label Say Stradivarius? (click here)

More about Stradivarius (click here)