Most people, inundated with information which excludes the dealer's role , find truth and fiction hard to separate. For this reason, it is urgent for us to highlight the three major myths which conspire in perpetuating the Great Violin Mythology . The price of an old or antique violin is determined by its sound. The prices of old or antique violins are highly arbitrary 4. Then the fun begins.
Auctions are a quite different matter.
Even though often scandalously weighted to favor the house, prices reflect the general range of value for a given object as well as the trend or fashion prevailing among collectors. Violins sold at antique auction houses are sold without being played, without any test for sound. No attention goes to the instrument's intrinsic value . Perusal of a Sotheby's auction catalog will quickly illustrate my claims, however casually one reads. Permit me a few quick generalizations about these matters.