Appraisal Services

I began to study the art of appraising violins and bows around 2 decades ago. At that time information was hard to find, so I started going to the London auctions several times per year to handle and study as many instruments and bows as possible, as well as visiting museums and private collections.

After years of slowly accumulating knowledge and experience, it finally aggregated into something meaningful when around 6 years ago Amati Auctions, one of the major players in the global stringed instrument auction scene, approached me with an offer to run their online violin appraisal service. This was an opportunity both to sharpen my eye by regular practice on a wide range of instruments and bows, and also to learn something about the auction business from the inside. The learning curve has been steep, the work varied, including some intense international valuation tours, but the rewards of working with and learning from a core group of talented and experienced people right at the heart of the trade has more than made up for the time commitment that such work demands. And every now and again it really pays off when something special turns up, such as the violin below - a damaged but still beautiful violin by Tomaso Eberle of Naples in unaltered baroque condition, found in Greece, which almost quadrupled its top estimate amid fevered bidding in the sale.