Going up for auction at Sotheby's on Friday, might make for good fiddle for those looking.
According to the npr story...
The violin up for auction was made during Stradivari's "Golden Period" between 1707 and 1717, which experts consider the time period when he produced his finest work.
Sotheby's is calling the violin the Joachim-Ma Stradivarius. It was owned and played for decades by Joseph Joachim, one of the most famous violinists of the 19th century. Violinist Si-Hon Ma acquired it in 1967 and performed on it until his death in 2009.
It might be a bit pricey, for used. Probably doesn't come with a bow.
Edited by - alaskafiddler on 02/05/2025 18:11:00
I've had a couple with that label, and I wasn't too impressed.
Yeah I guess buyer beware. Fake label or not, was thinking of still might be decent fiddle if a starting bid of maybe around $350.50. (used, apparently been repaired, no bow, not being able to play a fiddle tune on it first)
Other than that, I'll probably pass. 
Edited by - alaskafiddler on 02/06/2025 17:52:10
Isn’t Stradivari that immortal maker who started working in the 1600s, then moved to Germany a couple hundred years, later, and then more recently to China? I’ve seen his label in violins from lots of other countries as well. He must travel a lot as he works.
I think you're confusing him with Startavari, the guy who keeps popping up all over the world and time line! Or maybe Stratavari, who used to work for Fender.
The clue is in the name..Stradi-Various
Edit: sorry i'll get my coat 
Edited by - pete_fiddle on 02/07/2025 07:28:37
Great thread!
Well, after all, the name Stradivari literally means “various roads….”
There is a serious theory that it was an assumed name and that Antonio was actually a foreigner who settled in Cremona in his youth. There are apparently no records of the name in the city prior to his marriage record to his first wife, unlike the Guarneri family, which can be traced back well into the Middle Ages. Having established himself firmly in Cremona well before reaching world renown, he would still be considered a Cremonese maker, but it’s amusing to speculate on his origins. We have one violin that claims he apprenticed under Nicolo Amati, but there’s belief that the label that suggests this was inserted by the same collector who brought it to the attention of the world to advance his personal theory. Experts have been opening the door more recently to the idea that the apprenticeship took place under a different Italian maker, and that, even though the early violins followed the Amati pattern, they were not necessarily made in that workshop.
A lot of the excitement comes when a precious instrument like this shows up after being in private hands for a long time. The number of surviving Strads is not that great, but many of them, while documented by the shops that have handled them, are not available to the public eye or ear, so a Golden Period example causes an understandable stir when it’s put back on the market.
The final closing bid was $10M?
Didn't say who. Probably not a fiddler. Not sure buyer even much intends to have it played; or bought as a collector/investment (instruments very get poor return, esp "vintage" instruments). Not sure what previous owner paid?
Oh well, miss out on one opportunity another comes along. I happened to acquire a Hermann Beyer fiddle, it's all shiny and new (barely used), with "copy of Antonius Stradivarius" right there on the label, so know it's legit, real deal. Quite a bit less than $10M; it was free, and came with a 2 bows, case, and rosin. Plays fine, sounds fine for fiddling.
Edited by - alaskafiddler on 02/07/2025 15:11:56
There’s a lot more to the story (it was covered at length on Violinist.com a while back). The violin was given to the NEC previously and had been used there regularly. The school made the tough decision to sell the violin so that proceeds from its sale could be used to establish a scholarship fund for students. With the buyer’s premium, it ended up going for $11.25 million, which was actually below its $12-18 estimate. I haven’t seen info on the buyer(s) yet.
