Inside of the violin you can see the label.  It is clearly printed Henry Richard Knopf.  At the one end of the label is the number 318 and at the other No. 312.  The second line states New York, Anno 1923. Mario probably found this violin somewhere in New York or Pennsylvania.

Our luthier reconditioned the violin and looked it over very closely.  He is not familiar with Knopf violins as this is an American violin and that is not his area of expertise.  It is a well made violin and has a nice sound.  The appraisal was based on the construction and the sound of the violin. It is interesting that similar violins sell for a higher price based on the possibility that they are a certified Knopf.

It has been the most challenging violin in the collection to price and market. What seems to be in question is the authenticity that this is a genuine H R Knopf violin. That is factored into the pricing of this violin. That puts me at a Y in the road to market this violin. One option is for someone to buy it at this bargain price and get it certified as an authentic Knopf. The other tine of the Y would be for someone to refer me to a luthier with integrity and who is an expert in Knopf violins. I could have this inspected and certified as a Knopf violin or not. The price would possibly double for this violin if it is indeed certified as an original Knopf violin. Any input from readers of this URL would be appreciated.

Update

Here is some input from a visitor to our site:

"I have a beautiful knopf violin (anno. 1915). The easiest mark of authenticity on mine, is that on the bottom edge, right above the peg that the tailpiece attaches to, is a branded "H.R. Knopf", in black, somewhat indented lettering. In my opinion, the quality of the wood/craftsmanship on my instrument looks superior to that of the violin you have, although it is reflected in the value (about $10,000) Mine has a solid piece back, unlike yours, and much different pegs. The label inside does match mine, but the handwriting in which the "23" in yours is written isn't quite like mine."

Reply...In previous research I have read that H R Knopf branded his violins in different places including inside the violin. I will be redoing my inspection of our violin in that regard but as I remember we looked before with no brand evident. For our violin, the finish could be upgraded and there is some technical work to be done that would improve the violin but the price would have to increase significantly. Our pricing was based on the sound of the violin and we seem to be spot on with that and the fact that it may or may not be an authentic H R Knopf violin or at least not one of his best pieces. This is consistent with the major theme of this site that "The sound is everything" in pricing a violin.

Update Nov 5, 2011

We have just had this violin confirmed as an authentic H R Knopf violin by a leading expert on H R Knopf violins. We will be pursuing written certification and appraisal of this going forward.

TABLE OF VIOLIN MEASUREMENTS

If you have questions about this violin you can send a message using the contact us form. If you are interested in purchasing this violin follow this link to get instructions on how the process works or click on the Pay Now button below.

PRICE: offers to $10,000+ until we get final certification of the value of this confirmed authentic H R Knopf violin.

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