Aw man, bummer about your bow!!
Didn't they ship it in a special tube, like the ones they use for long-distance bow rehair?

Are you sure you can't keep the bow as your "backup bow" once it's repaired? It's nice to have an extra to use when the main bow is being rehaired. I'm playing on my extra/spare right now.

And why not sell for $200 or $150 to somebody local in Florida? Doesn't have to be only fiddlers, could be a violin student, etc.

Hope UPS pays the claim!

It is really worthwhile to ship bows in strong tubes. PVC is a great option. My grandfather made very strong wooden box he used for shipping. Cardboard tubes are quite flimsy and they get abused. Long square boxes also tend to suffer a lot of damage, so having a string tube inside to protect the bow is a must if the bow has any value.

What was the damage to the bow? Depending on how it broke, it may or may not make sense to invest in a repair. Broken bows are very difficult to resell, even when they’re made by good makers. Cheap bows are essentially worthless once they’ve broken. They can possibly be good players again if the repair is successful, but don’t hold your breath to sell them!

Broken at the tip. Not sure what to do with it.

Laurie, if it makes you feel any better, I've been playing for almost 30 years with a bow with a repaired tip, which was what made it possible for me to buy it. I realize that the same huge reduction in value would be the case if I wanted to sell it, but I don't want to.
Also, I wonder about the appraised value of your bow. Looking a bit online it seems that at least some bows by this maker are worth considerably more than that.

Looks like William Halsey, maker and restorer of fine bows, lives in VA. May be worth a chat with him! 

William Halsey website

Is the damage to the stick or just the tip? If it’s the latter, the value of the bow will not be diminished once a new tip is put on. Tips are essentially like car bumpers in that they are designed to protect the head and break before the wood cracks. Having the original tip is nice for collectors, but it’s not considered a vital part of the bow in the way that the stick, frog, and button are.

If the head is broken or cracked, it’s a different matter. A crack can be repaired without lowering value as extremely as a break—if it’s in a spot that’s not critical. If the head has snapped off, a spline is the strongest repair if the break is in a place that makes one possible. If the break is too high up the head, a spline won’t be effective. If there is a break behind the head, there are ways to make a repair, although they’re not pretty and the value of the stick becomes negligible.

Over the course of decades of playing, I've had several things go awry with the bows I've had. A stripped screw, a chipped face plate, bowing of the stick, but the worst was a cheek on the head blew out (the side of the head). That repair was not cheap and did not really affect the feel and playability of the bow, but I was told the value went out the window. Sad because it was a decent bow (as evidenced by the ivory that was used for the original plate). I eventually added it to a trade bundle with several low end bows. WHen you get quotes for the repair of your bow, definitely ask how much the repaired bow would be worth - don't go upside down on the repair, ie cost more then the bow will be worth, unless you absolutely LOVE the bow.

I made a shipping tube out of 1-1/2" ABS (the black plumbing plastic, no longer up to code in many states) because it was much lighter than schedule 40 PVC. That's the white stuff that's been around (and will be) forever. Your local hardware store probably sells Fernco rubber caps. They are made to fit perfectly and seal perfectly and attach securely, one on each end. I actually used the correct solvent glue to attach an ABS cap permanently on one end. Cheaper and lighter. I slid the bow into a piece of foam pipe insulation for padding. They sell it at the same hardware store. Buy one that fits inside the pipe. It comes with a slit down one side so it just snaps on to the bow. UPS can slide the works into one of their flimsy packages for the labeling. After that they'll have to back over the package with the truck.

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Originally posted by DougD

Laurie, if it makes you feel any better, I've been playing for almost 30 years with a bow with a repaired tip, which was what made it possible for me to buy it. I realize that the same huge reduction in value would be the case if I wanted to sell it, but I don't want to.
Also, I wonder about the appraised value of your bow. Looking a bit online it seems that at least some bows by this maker are worth considerably more than that.

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I have also played (and owned) bows with tip repair.

I'm with you on this; to me it's question of how does play after repair? Not really worried about resell value.

A friend of mine has a fairly nice bow; and about 15 years ago it suffered broken tip, but it was a very clean with the grain break. He just used super glue, to fix it (rather than the conventional repair). i was skeptical, but it didn't affect the playability, and has held up for all that time.

Thank you everyone for all the feedback. I did go to the Hasley website and gave him my story and pics. Thanks for all your help.

I did get a response back from Halsey saying that this is definitely not one of his bows. It seems to be an inexpensive bow and I will just move on.

quote:

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Originally posted by LaurieHillis

UPS broke my bow and I have a claim out. Problem is that once it is fixed, I can't sell it for anything. I had it appraised at a high end violin shop. It is a Halsey bow originally worth $500-$700. Repair bow is $50-$150. Then the bow is only worth $200. Anyone here want the bow for the price of shipping? About $70.

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Hi there!

Do you have this bow for sale?

Thank you,
Demetrius