Woodland Posted February 23, 2015 Report Share Posted February 23, 2015 http://www.ebay.com/itm/VERY-FINE-OLD-ANTIQUE-VINTAGE-GIORGIO-CORSINI-ITALIAN-LABEL-VIOLIN-/161600418877?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item25a022b43d Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asovcl Posted February 23, 2015 Report Share Posted February 23, 2015 100% positive feedback, what could possibly go wrong? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violadamore Posted February 23, 2015 Report Share Posted February 23, 2015 I do not bid on post WW2 (nor usually, interwar period) material for reasons given before, but neither do I condemn it out of hand. I simply avoid it because I have no way to evaluate it. During the 1930's, they all started to look alike, and after WW2 many European luthiers were trading violins for whatever they could get. Craftsmanship went in the dumpster all over the place. There was an American importer scurrying around Italy after the war and into the 1960's, buying violins at ridiculously low prices. For all I know this is one of them, but how you would tell it from a relabeled trade violin if it was is a mystery to me. OTOH, the bid history here is very suspicious. I wouldn't touch this item with a 4000 meter laser ranging beam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
not telling Posted February 23, 2015 Report Share Posted February 23, 2015 So...uh...how would you go about proving that there is no "sonorous rich Italian Soprano voice" "ease of frases" or "sinful voluptuousness"... ? I suspect the buyer will have to prove all of that when he or she is trying to return it against the "no returns" policy of the seller. I don't think it looks very Italian or very much of anything. I don't really know, but I kind of know. It's not very pretty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martin swan Posted February 23, 2015 Report Share Posted February 23, 2015 Not Italian, cheapish Markneukirchen or Luby with a rather alarming saddle crack heading for the soundpost ... It's worth bearing in mind that very very few Italian c20 makers indulged in any kind of antique-ing, and I've yet to see a fake graft in anything other than a Saxon or Mk/Sch violin. Very uninspiring looking instrument, but with that kind of sound .... oh boy! Sounds like a one in a million Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin the violinist Posted February 23, 2015 Report Share Posted February 23, 2015 Most "Italian" violins come from Schönbach and China My bet goes to the latter. From what I can see, this vendor sells violins under multiple eBay accounts... All the instruments look alike: same style of varnishing, fake labels, background carpets.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kallie Posted February 23, 2015 Report Share Posted February 23, 2015 The looks of this violin reminds me of one Ive seen which was labelled as Stradivarius with the words Made in Czechoslovakia underneath. I'm not saying this violin was made there, just that it looks surprisingly similar. For what its worth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kallie Posted February 23, 2015 Report Share Posted February 23, 2015 Very uninspiring looking instrument, but with that kind of sound .... oh boy! Sounds like a one in a million Yes.... This is an opportunity not to be wasted... LET THE BIDDING WAR BEGIN! (or not). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martin swan Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 But really quite inoffensive compared to this heap of crap http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/OLD-LABELED-ITALIAN-MASTER-VIOLIN-/331481904439?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d2ddc7537 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violadamore Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 But really quite inoffensive compared to this heap of crap http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/OLD-LABELED-ITALIAN-MASTER-VIOLIN-/331481904439?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d2ddc7537 Now be nice! The belly and corner closeups compare very favorably with my favorite $50.00 Chinese, which has a very sweet sound now that it's aged and all .The back and ribs are also very similar, though the back of mine hasn't had anyone's car keys dragged across it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vathek Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 Well if you don't like this one I notice the seller has two more old labeled Italians for sale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin the violinist Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 So if you missed the OP violin by any chance, here is another "Italian labeled", whose "big, warm, sonorous soprano voice would make a good player very happy" http://www.ebay.com/itm/181671671601 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin the violinist Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 And here we have another carpet-background bargain, this time a "NICE OLD ANTIQUE VINTAGE", with the inevitable 'Italian' label: http://www.ebay.com/itm/231485157264 Make no mistake about it, it's "player friendly and easy to handle"! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DGV Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 What would be a reasonable price to pay for one of these "old Italian antique" violins? $200? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pahdah_hound Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 It looks like there are four different user names (at least) that this seller uses. While not identical, the listings are all similar, including the carpet backgrounds in the photos. lalamigraamtecogiccgicc pilence0 The multiple user names is a dead giveaway for me that a seller does not want to be identified with his merchandise. Jesse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vathek Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 Yet ye shall be known by your background carpets Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rue Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 Yet ye shall be known by your background carpets LOL. Oh the legacy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violadamore Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 http://www.ebay.com/itm/VERY-FINE-OLD-ANTIQUE-VINTAGE-GIORGIO-CORSINI-ITALIAN-LABEL-VIOLIN-/161600418877?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item25a022b43d This one was finally bought by a (0) feedback bidder for $1500. Let's see if it relists . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deans Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 I'm fairly certain I've visited this guy, has to be more than 10 years ago back on the east coast. I believe he had viola that I thought was interesting, I emailed him and it turned out that he lived close by. He showed me several German violins that he stated were revarnished by a friend of his back in Europe somewhere. Nice enough guy who just struck me as another one of the many eccentric guys that you run into who have houses full of flea market violins that he's convinced are rare and valuable. Usually these guys are harmless but over the years patterns of multiple IDs, relisted items that "sold" earlier, suspicious bidders with hidden IDs, and the same revarnished German violins, all lead to the conclusion that he isn't just the usual kooky violin guy. And yes the furniture is still the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victordriver Posted February 27, 2015 Report Share Posted February 27, 2015 Most hopeful award? or maybe a gem? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Antique-Historic-Violin-Guarneri-Label-/161617424380?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item25a1262ffc#ht_211wt_1141 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violadamore Posted February 28, 2015 Report Share Posted February 28, 2015 Most hopeful award? or maybe a gem? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Antique-Historic-Violin-Guarneri-Label-/161617424380?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item25a1262ffc#ht_211wt_1141 Just when you feel you've flipping seen it all................ Maybe there's a decimal point error? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin the violinist Posted February 28, 2015 Report Share Posted February 28, 2015 Maybe there's a decimal point error? Or perhaps a brain error? Sometimes I wonder about the sanity of the eBay sellers.. Anyway, let's stick to carpet-background violins: http://www.ebay.com/itm/VERY-IMPORTANT-CONTEMPORARY-EUROPEAN-MASTER-VIOLIN-/141588857010?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20f75a80b2 Certainly a very nice instrument, but can we believe that it is what it pretends to be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martin swan Posted March 1, 2015 Report Share Posted March 1, 2015 This is not a Nikolič. I'm afraid this seller is beyond the pale ... this violin has appeared several times over the past year, and appears to have been bought and sent back quite recently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin the violinist Posted March 1, 2015 Report Share Posted March 1, 2015 Yes I thought so, Martin. So a new question: Is it a new Chinese- or Romanian-made instrument? Are there some typical differences that can be seen in the pictures? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vathek Posted March 1, 2015 Report Share Posted March 1, 2015 Regarding the Nickolich I have to say it's a nice touch to have updated the label from 20th to 21st century which would seem like something a maker might do to use up their old labels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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