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WONDERFUL OLD VIOLIN - MATHIAS HEINICKE 1926, with 2 BOWS - FULLY SET UP
Estimated price for orientation: 1 025 $
Category: Violins
Class:
Description Size: 4/4
SELLING OFF MY COLLECTION #2 I have decided to sell off my collection of stringed instruments, a collection acquired over the past 55+ years. I will be listing approximately one such instrument each week. This is the second of these to be listed, and it is one of the gems of my collection, a violin I have played in many a chamber music session. It is labeled "Mathias Heinicke Geigenbauer [violinmaker] / Wildstein b. Eger 1926. Bohemia" (The fact that the word "Bohemia" is in English suggests that this instrument was made for export). The measurements of this violin are: 14 and 1/8 in. (measured along the back minus the button), and 23 and 1/4 in. overall, and it is therefore a 4/4, full-sized violin. Maximum width of the upper bout is 6 and 1/2 in. and of the lower bout is 8 in. The instrument has a wonderfully rich dark reddish-brown varnish, and the pegs, nut, and tailpiece are elegantly and simply decorated with white (bone?) inlays. This violin shows all the usual signs of a 90-year old instrument that has been lovingly-played, but also some rough handling to both f-holes. There are no open cracks that I can see and no repaired cracks other than at the bass-side f-hole which has had a none-too subtle extension/repair. These cosmetic blemishes have lowered the asking price somewhat but they do not affect the sound in any way. This violin has been fully set up with a Superior Despiau bridge, two new fine tuners. The strings are also new, and are as follows: G is a Vision Solo / D and A are Tonicas / E is a Jargar forte. I am a violinist, former music teacher, and devotee of stringed instruments, not a luthier or stringed-instrument expert, and given the age-old and wide practice of false labeling, I cannot guarantee the authenticity of the Heinicke label. It does appear similar to other Czech instruments and is clearly an older violin whose date of 1926 seems very plausible. What I can say for certain is that it has a powerful, wonderfully rich and vari-colored tone, and is very easy to play. It is capable of very robust volume and projects with brilliant clarity, while also expressing a sweet yet rich tone in soft passages. In sum, this is violin that is a pleasure to play, one that possesses a maturity of tone that new violins just can't deliver.The instrument easily competes, in this player's opinion, with contemporary violins in the $2,000 to $5,000 range. Mathias Heinicke (1873-1956) was a well-regarded master luthier from Skalna (Wildstein, in German) located in the present-day Czech Republic close to the German border. Instruments by Heinicke have historically sold for a wide variety of prices, but generally run in retail settings anywhere from $4,000 to $8,000. Auction prices (which are considered roughly at a wholesale level) have been around the $3,000 - $4,000 level for a Heinicke instrument, with some violins going as high as $10,000+ and up to $21,000+ for a cello. (Prices at auction for Heinicke-labeled instruments can be researched easily online. Cozio is a good source for price histories, as are auction houses such as Skinner, Tarisio and Brompton's. Recently, a violin by this maker sold at a Skinner auction for $7,700. As I noted above, though, I do not have the expertise to guarantee this to be the work of Heinicke. Included with this violin will be a brand new nicely crafted case with canvas exterior and music pocket, built-in hygrometer, violin blanket, storage compartment and room for two bows, straps for back-pack portability and a keyed lock. I am also including two contemporary violin bows. One is an excellent pernambuco (brazilwood?) bow, marked "W. Sarhan, Paris", and the other is a better-quality carbon fiber bow from Vingomusic, a shop in China specializing in bows. (It's handy to have a carbon fiber bow as a spare when the other bow is in the shop or being repaired). The two bows by themselves represent a combined value of 600-800 dollars. I will also include a brand new adjustable shoulder rest and a cake of D'Addario dark rosin, and an extra set of strings. This will make for a complete violin kit, equally perfect for an advanced student or for an experienced older player. The instrument will be securely packaged and shipped FREE anywhere within the lower 48 states. (Shipping to other destinations to be calculated). This violin is being sold as is, with a money-back return policy of 21 days, the buyer paying half the cost of return shipping. The
Description
| Size: | 4/4 |
SELLING OFF MY COLLECTION #2 I have decided to sell off my collection of stringed instruments, a collection acquired over the past 55+ years. I will be listing approximately one such instrument each week. This is the second of these to be listed, and it is one of the gems of my collection, a violin I have played in many a chamber music session. It is labeled "Mathias Heinicke Geigenbauer [violinmaker] / Wildstein b. Eger 1926. Bohemia" (The fact that the word "Bohemia" is in English suggests that this instrument was made for export). The measurements of this violin are: 14 and 1/8 in. (measured along the back minus the button), and 23 and 1/4 in. overall, and it is therefore a 4/4, full-sized violin. Maximum width of the upper bout is 6 and 1/2 in. and of the lower bout is 8 in. The instrument has a wonderfully rich dark reddish-brown varnish, and the pegs, nut, and tailpiece are elegantly and simply decorated with white (bone?) inlays. This violin shows all the usual signs of a 90-year old instrument that has been lovingly-played, but also some rough handling to both f-holes. There are no open cracks that I can see and no repaired cracks other than at the bass-side f-hole which has had a none-too subtle extension/repair. These cosmetic blemishes have lowered the asking price somewhat but they do not affect the sound in any way. This violin has been fully set up with a Superior Despiau bridge, two new fine tuners. The strings are also new, and are as follows: G is a Vision Solo / D and A are Tonicas / E is a Jargar forte. I am a violinist, former music teacher, and devotee of stringed instruments, not a luthier or stringed-instrument expert, and given the age-old and wide practice of false labeling, I cannot guarantee the authenticity of the Heinicke label. It does appear similar to other Czech instruments and is clearly an older violin whose date of 1926 seems very plausible. What I can say for certain is that it has a powerful, wonderfully rich and vari-colored tone, and is very easy to play. It is capable of very robust volume and projects with brilliant clarity, while also expressing a sweet yet rich tone in soft passages. In sum, this is violin that is a pleasure to play, one that possesses a maturity of tone that new violins just can't deliver.The instrument easily competes, in this player's opinion, with contemporary violins in the $2,000 to $5,000 range. Mathias Heinicke (1873-1956) was a well-regarded master luthier from Skalna (Wildstein, in German) located in the present-day Czech Republic close to the German border. Instruments by Heinicke have historically sold for a wide variety of prices, but generally run in retail settings anywhere from $4,000 to $8,000. Auction prices (which are considered roughly at a wholesale level) have been around the $3,000 - $4,000 level for a Heinicke instrument, with some violins going as high as $10,000+ and up to $21,000+ for a cello. (Prices at auction for Heinicke-labeled instruments can be researched easily online. Cozio is a good source for price histories, as are auction houses such as Skinner, Tarisio and Brompton's. Recently, a violin by this maker sold at a Skinner auction for $7,700. As I noted above, though, I do not have the expertise to guarantee this to be the work of Heinicke. Included with this violin will be a brand new nicely crafted case with canvas exterior and music pocket, built-in hygrometer, violin blanket, storage compartment and room for two bows, straps for back-pack portability and a keyed lock. I am also including two contemporary violin bows. One is an excellent pernambuco (brazilwood?) bow, marked "W. Sarhan, Paris", and the other is a better-quality carbon fiber bow from Vingomusic, a shop in China specializing in bows. (It's handy to have a carbon fiber bow as a spare when the other bow is in the shop or being repaired). The two bows by themselves represent a combined value of 600-800 dollars. I will also include a brand new adjustable shoulder rest and a cake of D'Addario dark rosin, and an extra set of strings. This will make for a complete violin kit, equally perfect for an advanced student or for an experienced older player. The instrument will be securely packaged and shipped FREE anywhere within the lower 48 states. (Shipping to other destinations to be calculated). This violin is being sold as is, with a money-back return policy of 21 days, the buyer paying half the cost of return shipping. The