Reuning & Son Violins offers a range of appraisal services for instruments and bows that are submitted for our examination. The most common purpose for an appraisal is insurance coverage. The assessed value is the replacement value, which is the cost to replace the instrument with something similar within a reasonable time period. This service is available when there is no question of the instrument’s established attribution.

A minimum of one hour is needed to appraise your instrument or bow. Please make an appointment and be sure to bring any previous documents, including certificates of authenticity and the most recent insurance appraisal.

Appraisals are also conducted for legal, estate, or probate purposes. Under such circumstances, we would consider issuing a fair market value appraisal. This service is charged at an hourly rate.

We also offer verbal opinions if you wish to know the origin or value of your instruments for any reason.

Finally, if the instrument or bow itself isn’t available, we’ll issue a preliminary opinion based on good quality photographs. For instruments, we suggest digital photographs (please click on the following to view appropriate examples) of the front and back of the instrument plus a side-view of the scroll. The body of the instrument should take up the entire frame of the photograph. For bows, we suggest digital photographs of the frog and the tip. It is preferable to use natural light and a neutral background. Photographs should be taken without any tilting.