Certificates of Condition To repeat, a certificate is written testimony to the truth of a fact or facts. The general value of a certificate of condition derives from both the professional and ethical standing of a violin maker and restorer, on the one hand, and, on the other, from the signer's authority . Together, these determine the force and value of a given certificate of condition.
Certificates issued by others carry little authoritative value, if any.
Age of the certificate. The older the certificate, the greater the probability that the description of an instrument's general physical condition demands review. But that does not tell us much about the particular violin as it is, today. Wording of the certificate. Being a document, a certificate of condition should be read with care.