Lately I’ve been looking around for a 4/4 violin to upgrade from my 3/4. I found one in Uncle Henry’s (that’s a local swap it and sell it guide) for $200. I emailed the seller asking, maker, year, model and damages. Here is what they said…
“The violin is in excess of 100 years old because the lady who we got it from 6 years ago had played it and her mother also. The lady was 96 years old when we bought it. There is a surface crack on the right side as you hold it out in front of you. It does not go through. My daughter played it that way with no problem. There was a sticker inside for a long time but we had a new sound peg put inside and a new bridge put on a few years back and when we got it back we noticed the sticker was gone. The man said it had come loose as it was barely attached and he just took it out. Sort of a bummer in that it was all the information you and others have asked about. NO other issues with condition other than the surface crack.”
I do plan on checking out the violin for myself in person, but is that a fair price for a violin with no ID? It does come with a case and bow. Here is a link to see the violin.
http://www.unclehenrys.com/Classifieds/Search/ExhibitDetail.aspx?ExhibitID=-2136347781&ishistoricsearch=N&returnpage=%2fClassifieds%2fSearch%2fResults.aspx%3fSearchID%3d21092745%26isHistoricSearch%3dN%23-2136347781
I haven’t had a whole lot of experience checking out violins, so any advice would be appreciated. Thanks! 
Hi Sara,
You’re already doing the single most inportant thing which is to see and play it first. Check out the crack carefully and look for others as well. Check the seams for seperations and the neck for trueness. Give it good sniff to see if there’s any mildew damage. Check the case as well. Old cases can be a source of a lot of trouble like mold or insects. The age of a fiddle bears a lot of weight in many circles, but it’s only one factor in finding a violin that you like. In truth, the vast majority of old musical instruments are just that: old, worn, decrepit instruments.
In the realm of the $200 fiddle, labels aren’t nearly as important as what you personally think of the instrument. If it’s structurally sound, plays well, you like the tone, and are comfortable with it, then fine. But if there’s anything you don’t like about it, anything at all, don’t be afraid to give it a pass. The world is full of $200 fiddles.
The world’s full of dodgy labels, too. Or real labels no longer attached to the fiddle it was made for, as might be the case witht his one.
Lack of a label is going to tell you much, and isn’t a tremendous hardship at this price point.
Labels, age, etc are all unimportant. Playing condition and future considerations are all that matters. Used fiddle prices are determined almost entirely by quality/condition and almost never by brand names, anyway. If you’re going to have to spend money getting it setup again, why bother? Such fiddles often cost $400-900 to get up and running properly.
Personally, I’d skip on the instrument. The crack described by the seller sounds suspiciously like a soundpost crack(a crack right above the soundpost). If so, shun it like the plague.
If there is something you don’t like about it or feel leery in any way, run, don’t walk to the nearest exit.
I didn’t buy that fiddle. The bow needed rehairing, the case was falling apart, the pegs are worn (especially E), only one fine tuner, and a plastic chin rest. I saw the crack and it’s not a sound post crack, but it ran most of the length of the violin. The crack did run through a F hole and didn’t seem to have all the way through, but it could have been a tight one that I couldn’t really see.
I feel pretty good that I didn’t buy that violin. Thank you guys for your advice!
BTW- The only good thing about that violin is that it had new strings.