Sandy, the situation is indeed dire, my friend. You see, the bicycle was first introduced to China in the late 1800s. The marks then would be unlikely to have been caused at the time of the violin's construction which would have been in the late 1600s or early 1700s. HOWEVER, all is not lost. If it is a 'real' imitation Srradivari, you could well be in possession of an authentic copy as opposed to a fake copy. Maybe not quite like hitting the 6-49, but hey, for musicians a find nevertheless.