Guido

Owner doesn't know how it happened and just noticed the damage at some point. I've seen similar looking damage before and wonder if there is a "common" accident leaving these marks.

Does look like 5 original pegs to me, too. And the pegbox was shortened when it was grafted.

Just one to add: Many beginners end up with long corners.

I don't understand why there is a question. The seller clearly states that it is an interesting violin.

One bow is actually a cello bow... which goes to show that it doesn't prove anything

The OP wouldn’t know unless he is the seller. The eBay lottery has gone so far that you now don’t even know what instrument you are buying. It was offered as a violin. Not pictured are packs of old viola strings in the case, and seemingly deep ribs…

Like a viola I would assume

When I look at the varnish inside the turns of the scroll I get the impression that it was sprayed on, which would place the violin as a cheap production after world war 2.

I'm aware that Mittenwald Verleger instruments are sometimes inscribed with a date inside the pegbox (or at least the neck is dated if not the instrument). This little half-size violin has a candidate inscription, but instead of the sometimes found two digits it reads "4376". 76 may very well be the year; and I'm thinking this could be calendar week 43. The calendar week system is quite prominent in Germany, so I don't think it's all that far fetched. Of course it could be a million different things, maybe the 43rd neck in 1876, or just an inventory number. Anyone knows?

Thanks again Brad! The link took me through to your Hoyer frog copy which was inspirational to see! However, I dare to speculate, that while Vuillaume may have started with a design idea in mind, the Hoyer (and comparable) ferrules have slightly rounded edges because of the working method, rather than making them that way to achieve rounded corners. A reverse logic. Sill hoping for some clues on the timeline, if any exist.

Thanks Brad, for spelling out what I was trying to show in the picture ;-) This is not a Vuillaume style bow with rounded ferrule; and it is nickel, just cleaned it a little. One of my reference books points out such a one piece (or top soldered) ferrule at a Nuernberger-Suess bow, but doesn't give any background regarding the practice of making ferrules in this way. It seems to be a pretty rare feature and I wonder if it has ever been a more common approach in German bow making, maybe early on (say 1850 or earlier), and then may have remained with some lines of makers until it disappeared altogether. Pure speculation. Would be good if someone knows and could share.

From a German bow. Can anything be said regarding how the ferrule is soldered? (And if it’s made of one or two pieces?) Is this an “older” working method?

Thanks, I have no doubt the violin is "the usual". I would think Amati is a model designation though (and it is clearly recognisable as such), but maybe you are right.

Anyone know which company is behind this trade mark? No, not Amati, the logo on the left :-)

I would say the violin was made 1800-1850 in Kingenthal, likely by one of the dozens of Hopf family members, but quite possibly also by a maker with a different name as the "model" was widely used across town not just by people with a particular family name. As for violins which one finds somewhat seriously ascribed to David Hopf (not even distinguishing between father and son), they tend to be very fine instruments and yours isn't quite in this category. Here are a comparable f in a Hopf of average merit, certainly no David :-)

... old German bow with metal face - one central pin below mortice caused crack between mortice and back of head. What's the usual approach? CA glue and a less tight fit for the pin? Or something more involved with an insert to the back of the mortice?

Thanks for the input. Yes, it’s a nickel mounted cello bow. Quite old, quite short, quite light, but French. how did your fill job hold up in terms of wear? I’d think the lower facet is still fully supported as is. I haven’t made up my mind yet but leaning towards a fill job.

Try and fill with black CA glue and ebony dust/ shavings, or remove liner and graft on a new piece of wood?

The tool marks in your first new picture of the head look like a poorly implemented afterthought, or probably a later addition. I guess that’s just the tip of the iceberg with this one Still an interesting instrument. I hope you like how it plays?

Interesting. Family name in the middle: J. O. Szymanski Berlin 1951 (currently at Tarisio Berlin). But in the OP case I can't turn up anything with F.K.J. either

Yes, 352 is full size. Yes, its most likely from Saxony and I'd place it into the early 1800s. There is a very slim chance for late 1700s, but that's probably pushing it a bit, and may have been something a motivated seller said about it. Yes, the repairs are horrible and value accordingly low. If it plays well you should enjoy it while it lasts

And yes, the violin appears to be a nice Markie from between the wars. It is made with some effort, fluted f-wings, scroll carved to the bitter end. The pegbox is blackened though and the overall appearance rather clean. I don't have much doubt about origin or quality of the violin itself, but it would have been nice to have a name for it. I would think a monogram like this takes a bit of effort to design (I thinks its rather well done actually), and the violin certainly doesn't look like the owner of the monogram only made a few.

That's new to me, but I shell go a flip some pages in the books accordingly.

This is pretty much exactly where I got to, minus Kretschmer. I have rules out Koch, but couldn't clarify if FJ Klier may or may not have used a brand.

P.S. the brand is quite small, maybe the size of a shirt button, and positioned in good sight just above where a label would be.