Terms of Sale

All lots in this catalog are offered without reserve and without warranty of any kind, expressed or implied. The Conservatory has made reasonable efforts to describe each instrument accurately, though "reasonable" is doing considerable work in that sentence, given that several of the instruments described here may not exist in any verifiable sense.

Prospective buyers are encouraged to inspect lots in person prior to bidding. The Conservatory maintains no physical premises and cannot facilitate inspections. This is not a contradiction. It is a limitation of the format.

Authenticity

Attributions are based on provenance records, physical characteristics, and informed speculation. Where provenance records were unavailable, incomplete, or written in languages that may not correspond to any known linguistic tradition, we have relied on informed speculation alone. In three cases, we have relied on uninformed speculation, which proved equally effective.

Certificates of authenticity are available upon request. They will confirm that the instrument is authentic. They will not specify what it is authentic to.

Condition Reports

Condition reports reflect the state of each instrument at the time of cataloging. The Conservatory cannot guarantee that instruments will remain in the described condition between cataloging and sale, particularly those instruments whose condition has been observed to change based on the temperament of the room, the phase of the moon, or the emotional state of the nearest string player.

The phrase "consistent with age" appears in several reports. This phrase means that the instrument looks old. It does not confirm that the instrument is old, only that it has committed to the appearance.

Playability

The Conservatory makes no representation regarding the playability of any lot. Several instruments in this collection require techniques that have been lost, physical attributes that are uncommon, or temperaments that are no longer cultivated. That an instrument cannot presently be played does not affect its value. If anything, it increases it. The most sought-after instruments in the history of collecting are those that resist performance.

Buyers who intend to play their acquisitions should note that four instruments in this catalog have been described by previous owners as "uncooperative," a term we include without editorial comment.

Payment and Collection

Payment is due within seven days of sale. The Conservatory accepts all major currencies, minor currencies, and currencies that have not yet been established but show promise. Payment in kind will be considered on a case-by-case basis, though the Conservatory has no use for additional instruments and will not accept them unless they are interesting, which is a determination we reserve the right to make unilaterally.

Lots not collected within thirty days of sale will be considered abandoned. Abandoned lots will be returned to the collection, where they will be recataloged with the note "returned by owner," which adds a line to the provenance and, historically, has increased the price.

Liability

The Conservatory accepts no liability for injuries sustained during the playing, handling, tuning, or proximity of any instrument in this catalog. Several instruments in the collection have been associated with hearing anomalies, mild disorientation, and what one previous owner described as "an unshakable feeling of having forgotten something important." These effects, where reported, have been temporary. Where they have not been temporary, the owners have stopped reporting.

By examining any lot in this catalog, the buyer acknowledges that some instruments were built to be heard, some were built to be studied, and some were built for reasons that remain, after considerable research, entirely unclear.