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By JAY MOORE

Tribune correspondent

Published: January 14, 2009

Updated: 01/16/2009 02:46 pm

I know you probably receive many questions about Stradivarius violins. I think this one is real. It was inherited through my family, some of whom came from England. It is marked "Antonius Stradivarious" with a circle and the letters "A & S." I believe that there are a few out there and this may be one.

N.S.

Tampa

Antonio Stradivari (1644-1737) is considered to be the finest maker of stringed instruments in history. He was born in Cremona, Italy and worked there until his death. He created about 1,100 stringed instruments of which about 650 survive.

Most of Stradivari's surviving instruments are well-documented. The last to be sold publicly brought $3.5 million at auction in 2006 at Christie's. During the past 200 years, hundreds of thousands of copies have been produced.

You stand a better chance of winning a lottery than finding an original Strad. This reproduction may have good tone and could be valuable, perhaps worth as much as $250 or more. A local music store can provide an appraisal.

Can you tell me how to dispose of a bunch of silver-plate? The items, ranging from casseroles to a water pitcher, were received as wedding gifts years ago and never used. Most were made by the Rogers and Leonard silver-plate companies. Our adult children have no interest.

M.H.

Richmond

Silver-plated serving ware and weighted sterling pieces were extremely popular as wedding gifts from the 1940s through the late 1960s. Silver-plate is inexpensive, a pain to clean and usually ends up sitting in the closet, while sterling pieces can be very valuable. Check for stamps on the pieces to determine whether they're plate or the real deal.

These 1960s pieces have no antique value. I suggest you consign them to an antiques mall or shop, rather than tossing them, though. Don't set a price, since whatever you receive will be profit.

Have a question about antiques? E-mail a complete description with a clear, high-resolution digital image in .jpg format to baylife

@tampatrib.com. Include a name, address and daytime phone number. Regular mail can be sent with clear photographs (not computer printouts or Polaroids) to Jay Moore, BayLife Magazine, The Tampa Tribune, P.O. Box 191, Tampa FL 33601. The large volume of ma

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