A lot of pawn brokers sell instruments cheaply simply because they do not know the value of them and it's too difficult or time consuming to find out. To a jeweller, one fiddle looks just like another, I daresay your average musician couldn't tell the difference between diamonds and paste.

Bargains are not always knock-offs, but it is always worth double checking the provenance of such instruments, particularly if it looks like it's been well used. A well used instrument is more likely to have been purloined than an old, dusty, disused or broken one.

And if any burglars want to have a go at our 7 melodeons, I'll leave the window open again...... (joke!!)

LTS