Stradivarius in the closet

So this woman walks into the string store where I work occasionally, and says she found a violin in her closet and wants to know what it is worth. It was made by Stradivarius, in 1860, in Czechoslovakia, according to the label.

I said, sure, bring it in and we'll take a look at it. It could be a wonderful instrument to play and it could be valuable, but it is probably not a real Stradivarius. "How can you tell, without looking at it?," she asked.

We talked. I think I convinced her to learn to play her violin. :-)

Of course, she could have meant 1680 and Cremona, and that would be an another story altogether.