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Looking for a Strad or Amati?
Town man matches rare violins with world virtuosos
By John S. Sweeney
Greenwich Time - Music Critic
Town man matches rare violins with world virtuosos
By John S. Sweeney
Greenwich Time -
On any given summer's day you might find Joseph Overmyer of Cos Cob roaring off in one of his five Moto
Guzzi motorcycles, in full riding leathers, his helmet sparkling in the sun and his large walrus mustache blowing
freely in the wind.
The uninitiated would never guess that the upbeat, friendly, matter-of-fact man in his early 50s makes his living
selling rare violins to the worlds top virtuosos.
Overmyer is sales manager for the New York Division of Machold Rare Violins Ltd., a worldwide purveyor of
the finest violins, violas and cellos money can buy. Overmyer deals in the world of the ne plus ultra, the
irreplaceable instruments made by Stradivarius, Guarnerius, Amati, Guadagnini etc., some with price tags as
high as $6 million.
His clients are the world's top-name artists, profession musicians, a few gifted amateurs, some well-endowed
students and a few remaining collectors, all yearning to own one of these extraordinary creations, some more
than three centuries old, which violin makers have never been able to duplicate.
The big ones come with a long pedigree of all the former owners, a complete year-by-year history, with
Guzzi motorcycles, in full riding leathers, his helmet sparkling in the sun and his large walrus mustache blowing
freely in the wind.
The uninitiated would never guess that the upbeat, friendly, matter-
Overmyer is sales manager for the New York Division of Machold Rare Violins Ltd., a worldwide purveyor of
the finest violins, violas and cellos money can buy. Overmyer deals in the world of the ne plus ultra, the
irreplaceable instruments made by Stradivarius, Guarnerius, Amati, Guadagnini etc., some with price tags as
high as $6 million.
His clients are the world's top-
than three centuries old, which violin makers have never been able to duplicate.
The big ones come with a long pedigree of all the former owners, a complete year-
