A Rare Violin-1895

SMITH, BOHMANN, DIFFENBACHER

Posted By: cheryl Locher moonen (email)
Date: 4/20/2020 at 16:09:35

Cascade Pioneer, Published in Cascade, Iowa, Friday, November 22th, 1895

A Rare Violin

Mr. H. D. Smith, of Creston, now has in his possession a violin of fabulous value, made by a celebrated manufacturer several centuries ago. The story of its purchase and the finding out its real worth is given below:

About five years ago Mr. Smith was in a music store in Creston and noticed an old, worn out and dilapidated violin. He had an eye to old relics and took a fancy to it. The peculiar form of the instrument struck him and he asked the price. The firm wanted five dollars for it but finally sold the instrument for $3.50. Mr. smith took it home, glued up the cracks, put strings on it and discovered at once that it had a richness of tone and volume that few violins have and concluded he would someday have it repaired by a first-class artist in that line. A short tie ago he sent it to Chicago, to the well-known house of Joseph Bohmann. Bohmann notified Mr. Smith that he would give him a $300 instrument in exchange for it, but the latter concluded to keep the relic himself. Mr. Bohmann afterwards stated that it was one of the famous Diffenbacher make and was at least 250 years old. Mr. Smith has just received it, and he now has an instrument which is valued by the Chicago expert at $500.00.