I payed it off a few days ago, and I was digging through the case that it came in. (REMEMBER: This violin was previously owned by a man who passed away some time ago.) Nobody in the shop had looked in the case decently enough, because tucked away was a set and 3/4ths of Evah Pirazzi strings, worth $80 a set, and in near-mint condition. Now, also tucked away in the case was a document typed in 1994 by some appraisers in my town (names questionable). This document listed the instruments and accessories of the previous owner. The only violin on the list was typed out as so: "SANCTUS SERAPHIN 1732 yellow brown, slightly arched, good state of preservation ....$800." (This is the correct document because the case was described in clear detail and priced at $165. For those who don't know of Sanctus Seraphin, read [url=https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanctus_Seraphin]here[/url].) Now my first instinct is that this is a copy, or fake. There are no maker stamps, like I said. The neck gaft is of old style, curvier than modern neck gafts. Old instrument frequently have worn pegboxes, where the pegs have been turned so much from play and tuning that they wear the part of the instrument. Normally, they added extra wood rings to tighten the tuners. Mine aren't worn, but this can simply display a sign of inactivity, not counting against old age. I don't believe this was correctly appraised either, as only one instrument, a custom viola, was known to be officially appraised by the Violin House of Weaver Bethesda, MD. So basically, its legitimacy is a coin flip. If this is an actual Seraphin instrument, which I don't think it is, I could be dealing with a $20,000+ violin. If not, then its origins will keep to be a mystery. It sounds nice, but not something you'd hear in a baroque orchestra. Perhaps this was a screw-up done by him? Or maybe it says "Made in China" somewhere hidden. Only time and research will tell. EDIT: I have discovered that the previous owner died in 2012, whereas the appraisal of his instrument was conducted in 1994, [i]before his death. [/i]I think the previous owner knew about the violin's origins beforehand, but not what price to stamp on it. This, he passed on this information to the appraisers, where they would've agreed. This is just a theory. I'm keeping my eyes open for any reasonable appraisers.