Buying a vintage or antique violin often causes a considerable amount of panic among potential buyers because they simply have no idea as to what exactly they should be looking for in the instrument to determine whether it is in good working order or not. Buying a vintage/antique violin also raises a number of logistical concerns and difficulties for the purchaser and this is primarily due to the fact that such violins are much more sensitive to subtle changes in both humidity and temperature. When exposed to less than optimal conditions for extended periods of time then, this can have a significantly adverse impact on the instrument.
Another issue to be aware of before buying a vintage/antique violin is the amount of wear and tear that is present within the violin. See those hairline cracks that are present throughout every inch of the violin and which the seller was oh so quick and glib to dismiss as nothing to worry about? Think again. They ARE a big deal, they WILL affect the professional cello price and you DO need to get them fixed, preferably sooner rather than later.
An issue that always raises concerns with purchasers is the “finish” of the prospective vintage violin that they intend to purchase, and whether or not the finish should be of a concern to you will depend entirely upon the reasons as to why you intend to use the vintage violin. If you are going to be using it solely for personal usage and to produce music with it then the finish is merely a cosmetic issue and therefore does not scale especially high on the priority list.
However, if you are buying a rare/antique violin as an investment opportunity, i.e. to resell at some future date, it is imperative that you are indeed aware that the finish of your violin will affect its final market value (the amount of money the vintage violin is actually worth.)
A major warning sign to be on the lookout for when purchasing any (alleged) rare violin or vintage violin is the presence of an unusually high amount of glue. This obviously means that the vintage violin has been taken apart by someone who has then used all that glue to rather clumsily it must be said, put the instrument back together. As with all other purchases, if you are looking to purchase antique violins on the internet, make sure your financial details are protected by means of encryption.