The Early Show

Plucking A Valuable Violin

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

September 16, 1999 / 11:47 AM EDT / CBS

Even if that old violin says "Stradivarius," it may not be worth that much.

CBS News Saturday Morning's collectibles expert Tony Hyman explains some are more valuable than others.

You find an old violin and peer inside. And there, like a gift from the gods, there's a label that says "Antonio Stradivarius, 1720."

You think it's one of the world's most valuable violins, made in Cremona, Italy, almost 200 years ago!

Well, don't mortgage the house to buy it.

The 1900 Sears Roebuck catalog offered not one, but two violins, carrying "Stradivarius" as a brand name.

The cheaper "Strad" was $2.45, complete with strings, bow and instruction booklet.

These "Strads" were made of precut, mass-produced parts by snowbound cottage workers during long middle European winters.

Imagine how little they were paid if Sears could buy it, import it, ship it, warehouse it, advertise it and make a profit - selling it for less than two and a half bucks!

A higher-quality "Stradivarius" model came with a silver-trimmed bow, rosin, American-made hard case and complete instructions, all for $7.85.

Of course, real Stradivarius violins, the thousand or so made by the master himself in the 1700s, are very nearly priceless. And hey're all accounted for, so don't expect to find one at a yard sale.

But some of the better-quality fake Strads were pretty fair instruments and are worth a few hundred dollars today, possibly even $1,000.

For more information on collectible violins, Hyman recommends David Jones, a well-respected West Coast dealer who has sold instruments around the country for more than 20 years. His email address is violins@inreach.com.

Find out about other collectibles described by CBS News Saturday Morning's Tony Hyman in the Collectibles Archive. Or visit Tony Hyman's Web site.

If you think you have a collectible worth a lot of cash, send an email to sat@cbsnews.com. Put "What's It Worth?" in the subject line, or write to "What's It Worth?" CBS News Saturday Morning, 514 West 57th St., 6th floor, New York, N.Y. 10019.

Please note that because of the volume of mail received, Saturday Morning can't respond to all requests, but some will be selected and featured on the program in the near future.