2021-03-16T13:00:00+00:00 The former concertmaster of the Royal Concertgebouw and Chicago Symphony Orchestra, among other ensembles, shares his thoughts on violin and bow forgeries It has been said that of the 1,100 or so instruments which Antonio Stradivari made, over 200,000 are still in existence. Throughout the ages, vendors taking advantage of trusting buyers has been a part of the trade in all objects of high value – folding money, stamps, paintings, even the studs of racehorses – you name it. The 1998 movie, The Red Violin deals with a violin forgery. In the movie, the red violin that sold for $2.4 million at auction was a copy of the original red violin taken by the expert appraiser for his daughter to use. The film was popular partly because it was believable. With high-value items, fraud is common.