Ask Rhiannon Series: Learn where to look to learn about sale price history on a variety of violins

 

Label of a violin barely visible through the f-hole reads,

Question

I have a violin with the label reading Lyon & Healy.

I was curious to an approximate price range on this instrument or if you might be able to tell me where to find such information please?

 

Answer from Rhiannon

For checking on any brand or label of violin, suggest all my customers look at Maestronet's site. Here you can see a price history on sold violins on auction. Other places to check are at auction houses, such as Christies and Tarisio, to check on past sales for reference.

Understand that these auction houses usually only sell older violins and most of them are authentic and have been appraised prior to being listed in order to combat forgery.

Most of the violins of which people want to understand the value and contact me regarding are not authentic. This is because there are more fakes and copies than there are real ones (Strads are a great example).

Usually the copies are not made to be deceptive; it's more about paying tribute to the master makers, or simply because the template which the maker used was originally created by one of the primary great makers: Stradivari, Guarneri, Amati, and Guadagnini.

You will see in my shop most of the violins I made are based on one of these maker's templates. Think of a Strad model as a car is called a coupe or a sedan, and each automobile manufacturer uses these basic design elements like 2-door or 4-door and builds from there.

Please note the value of an instrument on these sites has so much to do with authenticity, condition and tone/sound. Before you get too excited about a label that says Stradivarius, understand 99.999% of the violins we stumble upon are not really Strads or priceless violins. There are literally millions of copies out there, so if it seems too good to be true than it probably is, but they can still be loved and enjoyed.

[Read my article about Fake Stradivarius violins]

As for your exact violin, I usually search the name inside quotes ("___") to get an exact match on google. Sometimes I add keywords like "value" and "for sale" to see what else is out there. If you want to exclue a word from your search, add the minus symbol (-) in front of those words. Note that some workshops and factories have closed, some have lost all records (such as Lyon & Healy) so locating info can be like finding a needle in a haystack.

Lastly, for the sake of the instrument, if you need to have it restored or repaired for playing or sale, make sure a reputable and experienced luthier does any setup or repairs for you before you sell. I have seen so many places ruin great instruments with bad repairs or alterations. Be sure to get a quote in advance so you don't run into an awkward financial situation. Also, this may sound paranoid, but it's a good idea to take photos of your violin (front, back, label) beforehand as there have been many reported cases of dubious shops stealing the violin that was to be repaired and swapping it out with a less valuable instrument.

Best of luck in your search. I hope you are pleased with my advice.

 

"The Violin: Label" by Shaylor is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0