The novice seller could easily imagine that the public auction provides the fairest access to the market. But a London Times article of October 16, 2001 exposes a reality well known within the string instrument business: auctioneers aren’t necessarily possessed of the best expertise in the trade. Nor is it always in the auctioneers interest […]

In the aftermath of the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, with the health of the world economy, and especially the U.S. economy in doubt, questions linger about the current viability of the fine arts market. Even before September 11th, it was becoming more difficult for auctioneers to produce profits. […]

Two upcoming sales events in the U.S. will be closely watched by consumers and dealers. One is Skinner’s November 5th [2000] sale in Boston. The other is Tarisio Auctions online sale which will be open for bidding on November 3rd [2000]. Skinner’s offerings include a well certified and healthy violin catalogued as the work of […]

If London is still the center of the international string instrument auction world, it is certainly much less so than it once was. A decade ago London was the only serious hub for musical instrument auctions. At that time Sotheby’s, Christie’s, Phillips’, and Bonham’s all staged major auction events, usually coordinating dates with one another. […]