Thank you for contacting Mearto with your appraisal inquiry. Based on the photographs and description provided, the subject of this appraisal is a full-size violin by an unknown maker named Niels Christoffersen in Boston, Massachusetts, circa 1894.

According to the current owner, the piece was acquired from a private dealer in Yuma, Arizona in 1996. The piece features no serial number but the labels include "Made by Niels Christoffersen. February 22 1894. Boston Mass” and an additional affixed label reading what appears to be “30/4 1918”, possibly indicating repair or servicing by a shop at that time.

The piece's composition appears to be a Western Cedar top and Birdseye Maple back. The condition of the piece is good, played condition from photographs. The auction market for violins from the time period coming from non-famous makers such as Christoffersen is light. Comparable items at auction in the past decade include a 1920s European Amber Full Sized Violin that sold at Heritage for $567.63 in similar condition to this piece, and a 1920s G.A. Pfretzschner, Markneukirchen Antique Violin sold for $286.80, albeit in poorer condition than this piece.

No-name violins seldom go to traditional auction, so a better idea of the current market is found in online auction settings such as eBay, where recorded sales of 1890s-era violins in similar condition to the piece examined again fall in the $300 to $1,000 range.

In consideration of the factors noted, and taking into consideration the good condition of the piece from photographs, a Fair Market Value (pre-auction estimate) of this piece would be estimated at $700 to $1,000.