Ownership should never become work
A master instrument requires insurance, climate control, half-yearly inspection, documentation and a loan agreement. None of that is your task.
Instrument management
An instrument that is played is on the move. It travels to concerts, it passes between climates, it is used for several hours a day. That is exactly what it should do — and exactly why it needs oversight.
That oversight consists of recurring tasks with fixed dates. Inspection. Documentation. Coordination with the musician. Review of the insured value. Each one is manageable on its own. Together they amount to an administration that nobody runs on the side.
We run it. You decide how much of it.
Five fields in which something has to be done
Managing a master instrument falls into five areas. How much of it sits with us depends on the scope agreed.
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Loan
Introduction of pre-selected musicians, loan agreement, ongoing coordination, annual report on the loan.
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Instrument
Inspection by a restorer, once or twice a year. Advice on conservation work and how urgent it is.
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Documents
Certificates, inspections, loan agreements, insurance papers, valuations. Kept complete and archived.
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Insurance
Coordination between insurer, musician and owner. On request, collaboration with an insurance specialist, for instance when the insured value is adjusted.
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Patronage
Invitations to concerts, advice on private recitals, and press work on instrument and musician if you wish.
Three levels
The basic level is included at no additional cost when an instrument is acquired through VIOLIN ASSETS. The two further levels are agreed for a calendar year.
| Service | Basic | Management | Full service |
|---|---|---|---|
| Introduction of pre-selected musicians | not included | included | included |
| Support with the loan agreement | not included | included | included |
| Coordination of communication, German or English | not included | included | included |
| Enforcement of agreed terms of the loan | not included | included | included |
| Annual report on the loan | not included | included | included |
| Advice on inspections | included | included | included |
| Coordination of inspection by the restorer | not included | included | included |
| Attendance at the inspection in person, once or twice a year | not included | not included | included |
| Restorer’s fee for the inspection | not included | not included | included |
| Correspondence to present the instrument for a valuation | not included | included | included |
| Advice on external valuations | not included | included | included |
| Keeping and archiving of all documents | not included | not included | included |
| Guidance on insurance | included | included | included |
| Coordination between insurer, musician and owner | not included | included | included |
| Collaboration with an insurance specialist | not included | not included | included |
| Invitation to patrons' concerts | included | included | included |
| Advice on private recitals | not included | included | included |
| Press releases on request | not included | not included | included |
| Request the scope | Request the scope | Request the scope |
For investors who do not lend their instrument, a separate version of the full scope exists. The loan items fall away. Safekeeping of the instrument by VIOLIN ASSETS and regular technical monitoring are added.
What is not included
Four kinds of cost are borne by the owner, whatever scope is agreed.
- Insurance premiums
- The premium itself. Where an instrument is on loan, the musician normally covers it.
- Preparation of valuations
- The valuation is prepared externally and charged externally. We advise on it and arrange the appointments.
- Conservation work and repairs
- Work on the instrument itself, including condition reports.
- The cost of inspections
- Covered at the full level, not at the other two. We state this here because it is asked at the first conversation in any case.
What we do not do
VIOLIN ASSETS provides neither insurance mediation nor insurance advice within the meaning of sections 34d and 34e of the German Trade Regulation Act. We provide no legal and no tax advice.
We coordinate, document and arrange. You conclude contracts yourself, advised by the professionals you trust. We work alongside them.
Which level suits you
That depends on whether your instrument is on loan, how much you wish to handle yourself, and how often you want to be involved. Three questions, one conversation.