We often come across musical instruments with no stamp and no indication as to where they were made or their makers. They remain forever unsigned, unstamped and anonymous. These instruments are often brushed aside and rejected as worthless or inferior. But are they? Why did instrument makers choose anonymity and is it worth buying an anonymous instrument?

Anonymity in musical instrument making

We can imagine that musical instrument makers didn’t simply forget to stamp their instruments… Ooh whoops… forgot to do that! [Although, apparently it does happen!] So, why no stamp? Let’s call our anonymous maker Joe Bloggs (for our international audience – John Doe, Fulano de Tal, Monsieur Tout-le-monde or Max Mustermann).

One theory is that old Joe Bloggs was not a member of an instrument-making guild and had no ‘licence’ to make instruments. Therefore, he was not allowed to make any. It could also be the case that Joe Bloggs made and subsequently sold some instruments off the record and paid no tax to the authorities.

Joe Bloggs could also have made instruments anonymously for someone else. That someone else would then need to put an own stamp on the instrument in question and in this case, it didn’t happen.

Finally, Joe Bloggs could have been an apprentice who made the instrument in his master’s workshop without the master’s signature.

In general, anonymity offers advantages. When you’re anonymous, you don’t have to live up to your fame and you can experiment and try new things. You can also practise and get better at what you do. Anonymity also enables you to fail… if you need to fail.

[Funnily enough, stamping musical instruments is not an easy task it seems, and many makers failed in the last moment… and the stamps went wrong. Just take a look at the stamp below.]

Buying an anonymous instrument

If you buy an anonymous instrument, its maker will always remain a mystery. However, by consulting an expert, it is possible to date the instrument and often determine its provenance.

For collectors, a maker’s stamp is extremely important. There are even books jammed full of information on makers and their stamps. Yet no stamp does not mean that the instrument is inferior in quality or not good. It’s often the case that anonymous instruments are very good value for money and great to play – perfect for those who are not impressed with just names!