The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-07-07
vI0LINS OF GREAT VALUE.
instruments that Range in FaIae
from $4,000 to $4,000.

The announcement that the collection
of violins which belonged to the late Mr..
George Haddock. the famous musician,
is TO be sold has aroused the keenest
interest among dealers and collectors.
says Tit-Bits. The Haddock hddles are
reputed to be the finest private collection
in existence. the gem being the Emperor
Stradivarius, pronounced by Joachim to
be the finest violin he had ever seen, and
which is slated to be worth fifty thousand
dollars. It is nearly 200 years old. and.
notwithstanding its great age. looks as
| fresh as IL it had but yesterday left the
hands of Antonio Stradivari. the famed
violin maker OF CTemOna-
This is somewhat exceptional value 70
be placed on violin, the price OF each
/ Of the six hundred Strads which are
known TO be in existence ranging from
/ So 500 to $500 Perhaps the only violin
which can be compared with the Emperor
/ Stradivarius of the HaddOck collection is
| the one which Paganini left 10 the city OF
/ Genoa, for which as much as fifty thou
sand dollars has been offered The Strsd
presented to the late Or. Joachim on the
occasion of his jubilee cost 5000. while
/ that presented to Lady Halle by the
| Duke Of Edinburgh. the late Earl OF Dud-
| ley, and the late Lord Hardwicke, cost
5000
When Sarasate's viii was proved two
/ years ago it was found that he had be-
| queathed 10000 and Strad each TO the
| Conservatives Of Paris and Madrid the
money for the purpose OF founding prizes
| bearing his name. Each OF the violins
was valued at about $1,000, one Of the IN
| struments having been discovered in a
very romantic manner. At one time it
was the property of a Genevan black
! smith. to whom it had been given by a
traveller who could not pay for the shoe
i ing Of his horse.
For years it hung on the wall OF the
! blacksmith's house, until after many
years another horseman, NJ. BOissier. who
was also a violinist and & collector Of
violins came along. The blacksmith
asked NJ. Boissier to buy the violin from
him at his own price, or else to find him
a purchaser. NJ. Boissier carried 1t away,
| cleaned off the smoke, discovered the
Strad mark-and did not defraud the
blacksmith
Twice at least $4,000 has been paid by
private treaty for Strads, and 5000 was
paid for Belts Strad," the title which
it gained from the following incident:
Belts was a music seller in London some
sixty years ago. and one day a stranger
entered his shop Offering a violin for
sale at the low price of one guinea The
dealer at once jumped at the bargain, put
down his guinea and secured the instru-
ment. He retained it IN hts family for a
number Of years. and. after changing
hands several times, it was bought at the
figure named by foreign nobleman
| Five years ago 1880 was paid for a
Strad which for yearsBwas played upon
by a stroIling musician IN the Noting
HIT and Marylebone district OF London:
VIII e some time ago $500 was paid for a
| fiddle which had previously been knocked
down at an auction sale to laborer for
$3.50. Fortunately for him, the laborer
| knew something OF the value Of hddles.
! and a day later sold has treasure TO a
the latter sold it for $s,00o-truly a record
bargain