Violin. Made in Germany by E. Reinhold Schmidt, Saxony

[tamrock]

This I bought some time ago. It was priced in the mid $300 range and I would see it in the glass case and get that feeling I get, that it could be a real treasure. Finally it came up on the sale of particular color tags where it was reduced by 50% and so I said I'm gonna take that home. The tag says Copy of Josef Guarnerins made by E. Reinhard Schmidt. I see one vary similar on worth point and other Reinhardt Schmidt violins that have sold on auction sights such as Sotheby's, but you gotta have access to see what it sold for. I was told by a person who play's the violin that it appears to be an exceptional violin, based by the type of wood and workmanship and also mentioned it has a one piece solid back of wood used over those that are made of two pieces butt together.. They even commented it has a great sound. It's missing a string though and has two bows they said also look to be finely made, but they are unsigned. I'm just looking for some options on what this could be worth and of course a little show and tell of what one can come by in a TS. I did find and sold a flute that was marked. 900 once and sold it to a coin dealer who said he has a niece who plays, so we settled on a price higher than scrap, which he'd never pay more on silver. I'm sure I could have gotten more out of it, but his offer was a good profit for me and I liked the idea it would go to someone who might cherish it.

 

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[Mackaydon]

Here are some comparables; some with sold prices, others with asking prices.
https://www.skinnerinc.com/search?s=REINHOLD+SCHMIDT
Don......

 

[Red-Coat]

Hi Tamrock. It’s tough to give you a valuation just based on a description, even if you had been able to provide photographs [edit: only noticed later that you had added pics] but this should give you some idea. You’ll need to do your own conversion from pounds to dollars.

I checked prices from the leading auction houses for 68 full-size Ernst Reinhold Schmidt violins, some dated and some not (hammer price, including buyer’s premium). They averaged £482, ranging from £42 for an instrument which wasn’t in great condition up to £2,629 for a really nice ‘Strad’ copy (sold in 2012).

Generally it’s the Strad copies that fetch the highest prices. One of the London dealers has one available at the moment for £1,600 which is probably a reasonable benchmark selling price for a high quality Strad copy by Schmidt.

If you take out the top-end Strad copies and discard the poor condition examples from the auction list, the average price across 59 of Schmidt’s other violins drops to £374 with 10 of them under £200; 15 between £200-300; 12 between £300-400, 8 between £400-500; 7 between £500-600; 5 between £600-800 and a couple just above £900.

 

[tamrock]

Thanks guys. Though it may require someone who can inspect it in person, I feel as though I hadn't over paid for it. I guesstimate by the case which does look to be original to it, does look like a case I'm thinking that was made around the 1930s, but thats just an opinion I've come up with by the smell and construction of it.

 

[GibH]

Thanks guys. Though it may require someone who can inspect it in person, I feel as though I hadn't over paid for it. I guesstimate by the case which does look to be original to it, does look like a case I'm thinking that was made around the 1930s, but thats just an opinion I've come up with by the smell and construction of it.

This is a very old auction, like 14 years old. I haven't kept up with the prices recently



You can register for liveauctioneers for free. They may not be as complete as Worthpoint, but it's FREE.

 

[tamrock]

This is a very old auction, like 14 years old. I haven't kept up with the prices recently

View attachment 1902516

You can register for liveauctioneers for free. They may not be as complete as Worthpoint, but it's FREE.

Thanks gibh, I don't believe I've ever come across that site.

 

[xaos]

just curious, if made in Germany by E Reinhold Schmidt, why would the label be in English?

 

[tamrock]

just curious, if made in Germany by E Reinhold Schmidt, why would the label be in English?

I wondered about that on my 1986 BMW 535i I had in the early 1990s. Most everything on it was written in English.

 

[Red-Coat]

just curious, if made in Germany by E Reinhold Schmidt, why would the label be in English?

I wondered about that on my 1986 BMW 535i I had in the early 1990s. Most everything on it was written in English.

From March 1891 the McKinley Tariff Act required that all goods imported to the U.S. were marked in English with their country of origin. In 1914 the act was amended, requiring the addition of the words "Made In…" plus the country of origin (not rigorously enforced until around 1921). Some exporters found it simpler to apply full English labels to products destined for export and also often applied custom labels requested by agents and distributors in the destination countries.

Two of ER Schmidt’s sons were in fact operating in America as “Schmidt Brothers” of Cleveland Ohio and, as well as being violin makers in their own rite, they were acting as a channel for imports from their father's workshop in Germany.