Date: Mon, 16 Aug 2004 10:01:53 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Re: Fwd: Vintage Violin

Lisa,

Steve for Folk of the Wood. Just back from a
festival, late at the moment. A Celanatus sold in
1996 for $26,000. If yours is equivalent, then it
might bring $30,000 or more. Normally I'd give my
friend Kelvin Scott a buzz to find out how to really
get it nailed down. Is it authentic? What is the
exact condition? How is the market right now? All
those things.

Since Kelvin is off in Scotland getting married, I'll
refer you to Chris Reuning in Boston. He sees lots of
things going through his shop and seems to know
everyone. So he'll be able to point you to the best
source for an expert appraisal from someone
specifically familiar with 18th C Italian violins.

Good luck. I'd love to see and copy the violin.

Steve Perry
Gianna Violins

My father and mother recently passed away. I am looking into getting an
appraisal in the next few months on his violin. It is very simple looking, but
seems to be quite old. Dad was friends with Bennie Goodman, Artie Shaw
and numerous swing & jazz musicians of the 1930's & 1940's. He was the
swing band conductor on the NAVY SHIP called the USS HECTOR.
They used to hang out afterhours in the back of a plumbing store and the
Swing Band greats would come out and recruit musicians like my Dad.
It was a club nobody knew about unless they were a musical prodigy.
The name inside the violin reads:
JOANNES FRANCISCUS CELONIALUS, FECIL TAURINI ANNC 1736 E

The 17 is stamped into the wood, and the year 36 is penciled in.
I was told it was made in TAULIN ITALY, and that the violin maker's name is translated to
GIOVONNI FRANCISCO CELONIATO and that he lived from 1720-1754.
That is all I know at this time, although my Dad had always said that his modest
little violin was one of a kind and worth a lot of money. We live in Northern CA,
but just wanted a little background info on the
violin maker or even possibly the violin itself. The man who did some homework
on the violin and also my Dad's trombone (which was made by a man in Los Angeles
and is apparently one of a kind too and
quite valuable) Anyhow, his mother played the violin in church last week and everybody
was astonished at the rich tone coming out of the little instrument. (this
church has professional symphony musicians in > it... so that is a rare compliment
on a violin that has sat in its case for 30-40 years untouched. This woman is
in her 80's and was a professional violinist in several orchestras and she said
she's never heard a more beautiful sounding violin. (even in her 80's her
hearing is still good, so we can't blame it on poor hearing) Thank you, Lisa Simon