Based on a Medium Piece first published **here. **

Let’s look at three 17th century violin makers. All creating unique violins, simply because they make them by hand. The first is proficient but almost indistinguishable from other contemporary violin makers. His violin will be worth thousands of dollars today (if it somehow survived). The second is a master. His violin today will be worth tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. The third is Antonio Stradivari (the most renowned of the Stradivari family). The Messiah Stradivarius is valued at ~$20 million today. 

Why is the Messiah so expensive? The answer ist’s subtle. The materials it was crafted from were of the highest quality and they affect the instrument’s sound and ability to weather the centuries. However, they are not the key reason.

The Stradivarius violins are so expensive because they perform superbly, producing unique sound AND because they are so rare. They are rare because they were made by a master genius supported by generations of craftsmanship and accrued know-how. Antonio Stradivari knew how to select the materials and how to craft them. The Messiah Stradivarius is valued so high because of its quality, which means it performs above all, or most others, AND because it is rare. The value of One-Offs is set by performance/quality AND rarity. The two are connected, clearly. One could even say that we are looking for things that are rare because of their unique quality and performance.

Based on a Medium Piece first published **here. **

Let’s look at three 17th century violin makers. All creating unique violins, simply because they make them by hand. The first is proficient but almost indistinguishable from other contemporary violin makers. His violin will be worth thousands of dollars today (if it somehow survived). The second is a master. His violin today will be worth tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. The third is Antonio Stradivari (the most renowned of the Stradivari family). The Messiah Stradivarius is valued at ~$20 million today. 

Why is the Messiah so expensive? The answer ist’s subtle. The materials it was crafted from were of the highest quality and they affect the instrument’s sound and ability to weather the centuries. However, they are not the key reason.

The Stradivarius violins are so expensive because they perform superbly, producing unique sound AND because they are so rare. They are rare because they were made by a master genius supported by generations of craftsmanship and accrued know-how. Antonio Stradivari knew how to select the materials and how to craft them. The Messiah Stradivarius is valued so high because of its quality, which means it performs above all, or most others, AND because it is rare. The value of One-Offs is set by performance/quality AND rarity. The two are connected, clearly. One could even say that we are looking for things that are rare because of their unique quality and performance.