Where instruments are sold in public.

• Tarisio — the leading specialist house for fine violins, violas, cellos and bows, with sales in London and New York and an active online auction platform.
• Ingles & Hayday — a long-established London specialist for musical instruments, working with Sotheby's.
• Brompton's — a London specialist house with a strong track record in stringed instruments.

• Sotheby's, Christie's, Phillips, Bonhams — the major houses hold occasional musical instrument sales and important single-lot offerings, particularly for top-tier Cremonese examples.

Request the condition report in writing. Where possible, view the instrument in person — or send an independent expert to view it on your behalf. Set a maximum price and do not deviate from it. Remember that buyer's premium and shipping can add 25–30% to the hammer figure.

Auctions are useful for price discovery and for accessing pieces that come out of estates. They are not the only route, and they are often not the best route for the very best pieces — see Auction Watch.