Antique strings, carefully.

Antique string instruments break down into a few practical brackets. At the very top, Cremonese instruments — Stradivari, Guarneri, Amati — are overwhelmingly held by museums, foundations, and lifetime loans to major soloists. They rarely appear on the open market and, when they do, prices are set by the very small number of institutions and collectors who can transact at that level.

Below that, the serious working market for private buyers is 18th- and 19th-century Italian and French makers: Vuillaume, Gagliano, Pressenda, Rocca, Bergonzi, and their contemporaries. This is where most real collecting happens.

Cellos are a smaller market than violins — fewer were made, fewer survive in playable condition, and top examples are held by soloists on multi-year loans. For private buyers, the practical bracket is again French and Italian 19th-century makers, plus a strong contemporary maker market in France, Italy, and increasingly Spain.

See Where to buy a cello in Spain and How much does a good cello cost in 2026?.

Two instruments that sound the same can be separated by a factor of five in price on the strength of the paperwork alone. What matters: a written certificate of authenticity from a recognised expert; a documented restoration history; and a clean chain of ownership. See our detailed walkthrough in How to evaluate an old violin before buying.

The bow is not an afterthought. A great bow can transform a good instrument; a poor bow will hobble a great one. The historic French archetiers — Tourte, Peccatte, Sartory, Voirin — remain the reference. Serious players often keep two.