The historical phenomenon of musical instruments forgery: a chronology.

The most ancient known cases of faking parctices were recorded in Germany in the middle of the 16th century, when the mark of the Neuschel builders was counterfeited and illegally put on low quality brass instruments. The most recent one was set in the United States of America, where at the beginning of the new millennium the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra purchased thirty strings instruments including five unauthentic baroque works at least. Yet musical instruments’ forgery has never ceased in the last five hundred years and other several examples can be mentioned: in 1685 a false Amati violin was sold to the Italian player Tommaso Antonio Vitali; faking harpsichords of the Ruckers/Couchet workshop was a common practice in France during the 18th century; builders as Wolfgang Küss or firm as Rudall&Rose reported the thriving market of faked woodwind instruments in the first half of the 19th century; in 1910 the famous antique dealer Leopoldo Franciolini was sentenced guilty of fraud by selling forged specimens and in 1999 a counterfeited ancient Spanish harpsichord was unmasked by John Koster, curator of keyboard instruments at the National Music Museum in Vermillion.