Blank face

Thanks. This looks like a Vogtlandish cottage insustry instrument of the period, though the large size is quite unusual. An Otto Voigt isn't mentioned in any of the usal dictionaries or address books. But Apolda isn't located in the Vogtland region or Saxony but in Thuringia, therefore he might be unrelated to the Markneukirchen family and was possibly just someone setting up and selling bought in instruments.

As long as you don’t show more pictures it’s just speculation, but most instruments from that region were made in division of labor by several specialist shops and don’t have a particular maker; the guild complained in the late 19th century that there weren’t hardly many people left being able to make a violin completely on their own. So most of such labels are showing the name of a shop owner or wholesaler only, even if they are calling themselves Geigenmacher or „Fabrikant“ or something alike.

The label doesn’t say that the violin was made by this person, who could have been a dealer or someone who made the setup, a repair or something else with it.

That’s exactly the way that kind of Fahrkarte (train ticket) is usually added, by dealers not makers, just by chance that someone might „overthink“ such actions. Nothing weird about it but common practice. The viola itself looks to me like a well made product of some of these Markneukirchen region makers who specialized in that kind of unusual instruments like viols, other historical copies or overdimensioned violas. With some luck one could find a hidden signature somewhere inside or find a reference example in the Zoebisch book or a similar publication.

By the rather dark and incomplete photos the violin looks much fresher than 1960 and the label like a recent trademark print. Early 1990s is quite possible for a modern Chinese reproduction, but it could have been made elsewhere.

You need to understand a bit more how online trading works, or you’re going to be burned easily.

The photos don’t show much, but I’m tending to agree with the fourth opinion.

In fact I would be more concerned about the numerous cracks in the belly and what looks like a soundpost crack at the bottom.

Well, when I was there she looked more like that in real life. Either photos make her look smoother or she was cleaned in the meantime. If the painting was a violin or a cello some „experts“ would have said that it needs to be stripped and repainted for aesthetics.

Not more defective than this.

Good that nobody has tried to „improve“ the typical varnish.

I don't think that any of these violins is by a Testore, so that's irrelevant here. A thin top is very often an evidence that the violin was regraduated (thinned out) later. Did you use a caliper to check the thickness?

The violin in the video isn't a Neuner & Hornsteiner. I would guess some sort of Meinel or Hamm or related to them, by the look of the scroll, arching and body proportions. They are doing the job also well.

Cultural value surely has lost. I'm wondering if it's possible that such alterations could be forbidden by a law regarding "cultural treasures"? Was the violin even legally exported from Italy or the EU?

When I was walking around with my single bow case I was sometimes asked if I'm carrying a Samurai sword inside this. But not by the police, who knows what they would do now (or in America this days).