martin swan

We tend to assume that when the price goes up the bidders involved must know what they are doing .... And yet it's surely easier to pay too much for something at auction than to pay too little! OTOH, I can't see much wrong or "ill-educated" about this violin, and to me it is very far from the work of a child with a steak knife. It has been knocked about a bit, and the erosion to the right f-hole makes it look massively more wonky than it is. But look at the arching, the wood, the varnish - this is (or in my view was) a classy violin.

Yes there is ... just a bit!!

I've always tucked my thumb under the corner of the f/b nearest the bridge. What I'm puzzled by is why the band of wear on the instrument I showed would go all the way up the the top edge of the table ...

OK. In what circumstances (or repertoire) would you rest your thumb on the table near the top edge in order to play pizz?

Hi deans - can you describe exactly how this occurs? Is it from pizzicato on the fingerboard and your RH 1st finger slipping off and hitting the table?

That could explain an abnormal wear pattern showing light wear on both sides, but the usual wear down the treble side of the fingerboard can be very extreme, even to the point of requiring new wood. It also always stops neatly at the end of the fingerboard, which puts paid to the theory of bows in old-fashioned holster cases and suggests a playing-related cause ... The way the varnish has bunched up suggests to me something involving sustained contact (perhaps little finger supporting high position playing) rather than impact from fingers slipping off the fingerboard or some kind of pizzicato.

Research the seller .... Or compare the label to this one : https://bridgewoodandneitzert.london/product/violin-by-j-b-collin-mezin-paris-1923-no-24/ Also quality of spruce, varnish, f-holes, edgework, purfling (and the way it sits in the corners), model and arching! Can't see the scroll but that too.

Looks like an OK Mirecourt trade violin - nothing to do with Collin-Mézin. I would stay resolutely away from anything offered from the South of France with those breezeblocks behind it.

Can we see photos of the violin rather than the label? The wonky signature looks like it's on a piece of paper ...or is that an optical illusion?

You are sure this is a Collin-Mézin? From the corners, edgework and quality of spruce it doesn't look quite what I would expect. However, by the 1920s they were selling some standard Mirecourt trade violins with their label and differentiating their own workshop instruments by designating them as "lutherie d'art" - is it numbered and signed to the back plate?

I'm not seeing any similarities myself. I have never seen a Luigi Paoli, but the violin at Tom Blackburn's looks like a slightly eccentric C20 Italian violin. The instrument in your photos looks to me like a newish trade instrument with much more generic features, but I would be interested to hear other opinions.

Yes - what period are you thinking of?

I like it - condition is poor but as deans says, if the back is patched it could make a very good player. What's the back length?

OK I understand. The instrument in your photos is a violin currently being offered by Tom Blackburn. He is a reputable dealer and the violin is surely authentic. I think it would be helpful if you could post photos of your viola. If both instruments are very close in style then we have something to go on.

I'm not sure if your interest in this violin is academic or whether you're considering buying it. If you're considering buying a modern Italian violin, it should be from a reputable dealer and it should have some kind of independent certificate, though this can be very problematic with rare makers. In this case it seems to me you can just ask the seller for more information or reassurance.