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Chapter 8. Certificates of Authenticity

Certificates are, generally speaking, written testimony to the truth of a fact or facts. They certify. Broadly speaking, the value of any certificate derives from the degree of authority accorded to its signer. With regard to stringed instruments, the following observations are especially important:

1. Members of establishments (a) which represent generations of violin makers, and (b) which enjoy high international repute as dealers, are granted the highest authoritative standing. Their certificates are the most highly honored, for they speak as agents of a maker/dealer (not a musician/dealer).

2. Members of the International Society of Master Violin and Bow Makers, or members of a national association of Master Violin and Bow Makers, enjoy a standing which gives them considerable authority -- if the members have been formed and guided by their respective codes of ethics.

3. Other persons may sign apparently-impressive documents, but these certificates have little or no authoritative value.

Important points to notice when reading a certificate:

1. Age of the certificate. The newer the certificate, the better. The older the certificate, the greater the likelihood that the instrument certified has deteriorated since the document's date of issue. Terms used in the certificate -- e.g., "authentic in all its parts," "mint," "fine," "good," or "functional condition" -- may no longer be accurate. They may describe an instrument which, in reality, no longer exists -- an instrument whose real identity has changed.

2. Wording of the certificate. Since it is a document, a certificate should be read with special care. What the certificate says -- but especially what it does not say -- is of great importance.

3. Photos attached to the certificate. The more valuable the violin or bow, the greater the need for attached photos which show critical details of the certified object.

Advice to the buyer: A certificate of authenticity, for a violin or a bow, is comparable to an identification card carried by an individual. It is not a certification of the physical health of the instrument (which may be "authentic" but unplayable). At times, such a certificate identifies only a corpse. Importantly, a certificate of authenticity does not set out a monetary valuation or state a price.

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