Democratic Sentinel, Volume 10, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 November 1886 — Stradivarius Violins. [ARTICLE]

Stradivarius Violins.

“We have persons coming in here every day with so-called Stradivarus violins.” said a maker of violins in the Bowery. “They are common German violins with a copy of the Stradivari us label printed or pasted on the inside. Pretty much every violin, no matter by whom it is made, has some such label, so that labels nowadays do not count for anything. Inexperienced persons may be fooled by them, but anyone who knows anything about violins pays no attention to them. “I suppose makers put the label on because some people like to pretend they have a valuable violin. A Stradivarius violin is worth anywhere from $3,000 to $15,000, and they are not very plenty. They can be told by their shape and by the kind of varnish on them. “It is unsafe to pay a big price for a violin until it is passed upon by experts. I have known a label to be taken off a genuine Stradivarius and inserted in an imitation one, for the rouson that one could be sold on its merits, while the *