I have a 1921 Robert A Dolling 4/4 Violin I just inherited from my Grandfather. It is in almost mint condition. What should I do with it, and what is it worth? It is 1-owner, and I even have the record of its purchase from the shop in Germany my Great Grandfather bought it at in 1922 after WW1!
Thank you for asking. The highest auction price I found was for a violin by R Dolling from the 1920's that sold for $1998 in 2005. The retail price could be higher, depending on the condition. Take it to a reputable shop and have them evaluate it, or you can ship it if there are none nearby. Sending good quality photos electronically also works for a start.
@@WhiteBrosMusic Thank you very much! This violin means a lot to me. My Great Grandfather was a fantastic musician, but he came down with(what we think was)Parkinsons in the early 50's, and was not able to play anymore. So the Violin has been put away for almost 70 years now(unstrung).. A few people have said it not being stringed and setup up could be really bad, but according the appraisal from 2007, by David Bonsey, the violin is in "excellent" condition, and was valued at between $1300-1800 in 2007. I really want to make sure I am protecting it properly in the years to come. It is a very special work of art.
@@JonHop1 If you were wanting to sell the instrument, you would want to have it strung and properly set up to show to prospective purchasers. A specialist violin shop with one or more properly trained and experienced violin makers could do this for you -- always deal with a bowed-string specialist shop, not most general-purpose guitar, band instrument, and keyboard emporium type of places (though a few such places do have qualified violin makers working for them in-house or otherwise). A violin shop might also sell the instrument for you on consignment, deducting a commission and the cost of any needed setup or repair. This would also be the place to go for an appraisal for insurance purposes. It seem that you or someone in your family has already dealt with David Bonsey for this; he is still in business and eminently qualified if it is convenient for you to take the instrument back to him. You might want to get your fiddle strung up even if you intend to keep it, unplayed for the time being, in the family. A shop will usually install strings for no charge beyond the cost of the strings (about $50 and up for the set of four, depending on the type of string, up to about a couple of hundred dollars; a low-end option will probably be just fine for you). If more setup or repair work is needed to get it into really fine playable condition, of course the expense will be greater; if it is still in "excellent" condition and doesn't need a new bridge or any cracks repaired or anything major, it won't be much. On the other hand, a lot of work would could mean a lot of hundreds of dollars. "One owner" doesn't really count for much (or indeed anything) in the violin world, but it's nice to have the original purchase records with the instrument. Among other things, they testify to its origin and authenticity.
I have a 1921 Robert A Dolling 4/4 Violin I just inherited from my Grandfather. It is in almost mint condition. What should I do with it, and what is it worth? It is 1-owner, and I even have the record of its purchase from the shop in Germany my Great Grandfather bought it at in 1922 after WW1!
Thank you for asking. The highest auction price I found was for a violin by R Dolling from the 1920's that sold for $1998 in 2005. The retail price could be higher, depending on the condition. Take it to a reputable shop and have them evaluate it, or you can ship it if there are none nearby. Sending good quality photos electronically also works for a start.
@@WhiteBrosMusic Thank you very much! This violin means a lot to me. My Great Grandfather was a fantastic musician, but he came down with(what we think was)Parkinsons in the early 50's, and was not able to play anymore. So the Violin has been put away for almost 70 years now(unstrung).. A few people have said it not being stringed and setup up could be really bad, but according the appraisal from 2007, by David Bonsey, the violin is in "excellent" condition, and was valued at between $1300-1800 in 2007. I really want to make sure I am protecting it properly in the years to come. It is a very special work of art.
@@JonHop1 If you were wanting to sell the instrument, you would want to have it strung and properly set up to show to prospective purchasers. A specialist violin shop with one or more properly trained and experienced violin makers could do this for you -- always deal with a bowed-string specialist shop, not most general-purpose guitar, band instrument, and keyboard emporium type of places (though a few such places do have qualified violin makers working for them in-house or otherwise).
A violin shop might also sell the instrument for you on consignment, deducting a commission and the cost of any needed setup or repair.
This would also be the place to go for an appraisal for insurance purposes. It seem that you or someone in your family has already dealt with David Bonsey for this; he is still in business and eminently qualified if it is convenient for you to take the instrument back to him.
You might want to get your fiddle strung up even if you intend to keep it, unplayed for the time being, in the family. A shop will usually install strings for no charge beyond the cost of the strings (about $50 and up for the set of four, depending on the type of string, up to about a couple of hundred dollars; a low-end option will probably be just fine for you). If more setup or repair work is needed to get it into really fine playable condition, of course the expense will be greater; if it is still in "excellent" condition and doesn't need a new bridge or any cracks repaired or anything major, it won't be much. On the other hand, a lot of work would could mean a lot of hundreds of dollars.
"One owner" doesn't really count for much (or indeed anything) in the violin world, but it's nice to have the original purchase records with the instrument. Among other things, they testify to its origin and authenticity.