Where Can I Get a Violin Valuation?

Send us photographs

This is how most people do it, and it costs nothing.

You fill in the online valuation form, upload a few photographs, and one of our specialists looks at them properly. You get back an idea of what the instrument might fetch at auction. We aim to come back within three weeks. If you need it faster there is an express service that turns it round in three days.

What we need to see: the front, the back, the scroll from both sides, the ribs, and a photograph of the label if there is one, taken through the f hole with the lights on. Blurry is fine. Badly lit is fine. We are looking at shapes and wear, not at your photography.

Send photographs

Come to a valuation day

We take the valuation days around the country, and they are free and without obligation. You bring the instrument, we look at it on the spot, and you leave knowing what you have got.

Here is where we will be between now and Christmas.

September

• Cambridge, Tuesday 15 September - The Hobson by Adina, 42-44 St Andrew’s Street, CB2 3AS
• Stockholm, Tuesday 15 and Wednesday 16 September - Hotel Ibis Styles, Västmannagatan 61B
• Chichester, Tuesday 22 September - The Priory Suite, Harbour Hotel, 57 North Street, PO19 1NH
• Lichfield, Tuesday 29 September - St Johns House, 28 St John Street, WS13 6PB

October, in Britain

• Lincoln, Tuesday 6 October - White Hart Hotel, Bailgate, LN1 3AR
• Guildford, Tuesday 13 October - Harbour Hotel, GU1 3DA
• Stratford-upon-Avon, Tuesday 20 October
• Peterborough, Tuesday 27 October

October, in the United States

• Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, Monday 5 October - The Kingsley Bloomfield, 39475 Woodward Avenue
• Perrysburg, Ohio, Tuesday 6 October - Hilton Garden Inn Toledo, 6165 Levis Commons Boulevard
• Cleveland, Ohio, Wednesday 7 October - Glidden House, 1901 Ford Drive
• Akron, Ohio, Thursday 8 October - DoubleTree Fairlawn, 3180 W. Market Street
• Youngstown, Ohio, Friday 9 October - DoubleTree Youngstown Downtown, 44 East Federal Plaza
• Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Saturday 10 October - DoubleTree Pittsburgh Downtown, One Bigelow Square

November

• Norwich, Monday 2 November
• Ely, Tuesday 3 November
• Nottingham, Tuesday 10 November
• St Andrews, Thursday 12 November - Rufflets Hotel, Strathkinness Low Road, KY16 9TX
• Edinburgh, Friday 13 November - Prestonfield House Hotel, Priestfield Road, EH16 5UT
• Glasgow, Saturday 14 November - Hotel du Vin, One Devonshire Gardens, G12 0UX
• Poole, Tuesday 17 November
• Liverpool, Monday 23 November
• Harrogate, Tuesday 24 November

December

• Swansea, Monday 7 December
• Cowbridge, Tuesday 8 December
• Hereford, Wednesday 9 December
• Cheltenham, Thursday 10 December

Do book an appointment rather than turning up. The days fill, and an appointment means you get a proper conversation rather than a queue.

Book a valuation day

Bring it to London

Our offices are at Furlong House, 10a Chandos Street, London W1G 9DQ, just off Cavendish Square. If you are in London, or passing through, you are welcome to bring the instrument in. It might be worth calling first to make sure the person you are after isn’t out grabbing a cup of coffee, but we are usually available.

London appointments run any weekday, and you can choose your date on the booking page.

What it costs

An auction valuation is free, and there is no obligation to sell.

An insurance valuation costs £100, and that is a different document for a different purpose. If you are not sure which one you want, say so when you get in touch and we will tell you. Sometimes the honest answer is that you want neither, and that you want a dealer rather than an auction house.

Why we will not do it over the phone

People ask, and we understand why. But a description down a telephone line is not enough to put a number on an instrument, and a number given carelessly is worse than no number at all. It takes about five minutes to photograph a violin. That is the quicker route in the end.

Once you know where to go, the next question is usually how much is my violin worth. You can also look up what instruments by a given maker have actually fetched at auction in the Amati Instrument Archive.