[cmccuist]

I believe I read somewhere that Stradavarious made about 1000 instruments - mostly violins, some cellos and a couple of guitars. I believe about 750 of those have been accounted for. The rest are believed to have been destroyed or lost, but there could still be a couple of undiscovered fiddles in a barn or attic. Amati was Stradivarious' teacher and his violins are also very valuable. Those violins were made in the Cremona area of Italy.

I bought a Bach Stradivarious (no relation) trumpet in a pawn shop for $75 and sold it on eBay for $800. I bought another for $85 and sold it for $750.

If you keep your eyes open, there is money to be made in musical instruments.