GUEST: They used to belong to my brother's wife. They both passed away. They passed away prematurely because probably they were a... lived in the fast lane. She was a violinist.
APPRAISER: I see.
GUEST: And her dad was a music teacher. And her dad came from Czechoslovakia and all I know about these, I think they're from Czechoslovakia, I'm not sure.
APPRAISER: And she turned out to be a professional violinist.
GUEST: Yes.
APPRAISER: Well, these are both Czech violins. And these are two of the best Czech makers. Now, the Czech makers are not as well known as the Italians or the French or some of the English, but the Czech makers were very fine craftsmen. This violin is Ferdinandus Homolka. It's dated 1873 and he was known as the Stradivarius of Prague. So he has a very high reputation. It's a beautiful violin and it's in great condition. This violin is not a familiar name-- Julius Hubicka. The label is actually from Spidlen, which was his teacher. And then he wrote on top of it that he was a disciple of Spidlen and that underneath it he signed it. So it was kind of an homage to his teacher. This violin is dated 1927. Tell us about the bows. Do you know anything about those?
GUEST: All I know is that any violinist who came to play with the Calgary Philharmonic wanted to try her...Her bows, Bows and her violin. And she had one bow-- I don't know which it was-- that I think she had one that was exceptionally good. That's all I know.
APPRAISER: This top bow is made by a very famous English maker. He's one of the most famous English makers, named James Tubbs. I would say it’s from around 1880.
GUEST: These violins haven't been touched for 25 years. Would they be better if they were played?
APPRAISER: Yes. As they get played, they will loosen up, they will break in again. Even an old violin, if it hasn't been played. So they will play better if they're played again. And that will keep them in their top condition, to play them once in a while. Today, a Homolka like this, as a retail price, between $20,000 and $25,000.
GUEST: Whoa.
APPRAISER: The Hubicka, around $12,000.
GUEST: Well.
APPRAISER: The Tubbs bow, the button is not original. It detracts a little bit from this price, but even at that would have a retail value around $13,000.
GUEST: Oh!
APPRAISER: This next bow is a German bow, a good quality German bow. Around $1,500. This bow right here, the Hill bow, unfortunately it's not original in all its parts. The frog has been replaced on it, so that cuts the value in half. Also, we can't see it on this side, but there's a repair to the head of the bow. So it greatly affects the value of the bow. But even at that, would have a value of around $1,500.
GUEST: Wow.
APPRAISER: The other bows are inconsequential, $100 or so each. So you have quite a collection.
GUEST: Wow. Wow! Thanks very much.
APPRAISER: You're welcome. Thank you.
GUEST: That's really good. That's great. Wow.
