This violin likely dates from about 1880's Germany. No label remains, however there is a large note written in broad fountain pen (except the "owned by" which may have been added with a ball-point pen later), stating the name of a repairer and of his client:
If that's not clear enough, it reads: "REPAIRED BY EARL ROBERTS APRIL 1936 HIGBEE MO and owner is FRANCIS NEWMAN MEXICO MO"
Earl from Missouri doesn't strike me as being much of a luthier, from the mess he left of several cracks in the lower belly and bottom rib. A fellow in Port Coquitlam named Otto Jorgensen apparently did something inside the violin in 1963 and left a tidy pencilled note on the upper belly - I can't see that he did much, as most of the repairs have much older glue. As I received the violin, there were significantly offset cracks on the lower bassbar side, as well as extensive damage to the lower rib on that side due to overly clamped chinrests. All is now mended and stable. The violin has a fairly open sound, not overly harsh on the E string, and responds quickly. Very pretty maple in the back, ribs, and neck. Now asking just $1,500.
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