This old cello donated to Goodwill sparked a bidding war and sold for over $11,000

You’d be forgiven for passing it off as just another family heirloom, left in disrepair.

To the untrained eye, the old cello donated to Goodwill looks inconspicuous — no different than the dozens of other string instruments sold by the non-profit social enterprise each week.

A note on the auction page says the instrument is in “used condition with a number of significant cracks” and “many scratches.” A string is missing. So is the bridge, a piece of carved wood that supports the strings and carries its vibrations to the cello’s body. As for the bow, it, too, has seen better days.

Yet the instrument has become one of the most significant items donated in recent memory to Goodwill Industries in London, Ont., where the average eCommerce item is sold for about $90.

Last week, the cello and bow sparked a bidding war among 16 potential buyers and ended up selling for more than $11,000.

“It’s extremely rare for us to sell anything at a price that high,” said Scott Louch, chief operating officer of Goodwill Industries, Ontario Great Lakes. “It likely had considerable value just based on its age, but it was a complete surprise that it sold for the number that it did.”

What do we know about the cello?

Definitive details on the instrument’s origins are scant, making the bidding war all the more unexpected. It was donated anonymously, likely within the past three or four weeks, to one of Goodwill Industries’ multiple stores in southern Ontario.

The cello itself lacks a label noting its maker and place of origin. Another old sticker, however, suggests the instrument was once repaired in Montreal, Que., by Canadian luthier Télesphore-Octave Dionne. Because Dionne died in 1920, the cello is likely more than a century old if the repair label is authentic.

The bow, by contrast, has a stamp noting that it was made at the internationally-renowned Vidoudez firm in Geneva, Switzerland.

Still, that wasn’t much information for the Goodwill team to work with. “Our e-commerce team knew it was something special but they couldn’t find a lot of background information on it when they did some research,” Louch told the Star by phone.

So, the team ended up posting the instrument online with the few facts they knew.

At first, bids came in slowly. After the first four days it was up for auction, the highest bid was less than $1,000 — still significant compared to other items listed on Goodwill Industries’ eCommerce site, but just a fraction of the instrument’s final selling price.

The flurry of bids didn’t come until the end. Within the final 10 minutes of the auction last Wednesday, the top offer skyrocketed by more than $9,000 after a dozen bids came in rapid succession. Throughout the entire auction period, there were a total of 52 offers made by 16 individuals.

(Though the auction has ended, Louch noted the sale has yet to be finalized, as of Friday. The top bidder has 10 days to complete the transaction.)

Could the instrument really be worth $11,000?

Despite the little information posted online about the instrument, the bidders must have known that the item is special and worth a considerable amount of money, said Louch.

Indeed, the instrument is valuable. In fact, the gold-mounted bow is likely worth more than the cello itself, said cello expert Alistair Grieve in an email to the Star, written after reviewing images of the instrument.

“If I read it correctly, the bow is branded Vidoudez Genève. These bows were made by French bow maker Bernard Ouchard, the son of one of the 20th century’s great bow makers,” said Grieve, managing director of The Sound Post in Toronto. “The bow alone is worth close to the total price paid.”

The cello, meanwhile, also appears to be of good quality but requires “significant” restoration work, said Grieve. He believes the antique instrument is of English origin, based on the outline and varnish.

Where will the auction money go?

All proceeds from the sale of the donated cello and bow will go toward Goodwill’s programming, which aims to assist individuals to find work and grow their careers, said Michelle Quintyn, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries, Ontario Great Lakes. She noted that those who donate an item valued over $50 are eligible for a tax receipt.

Goodwill is one of the largest employment service and training providers in North America, with more than 3,200 stores across the continent.

“This money all goes back into helping people,” she said. “It’s really about providing jobs and training — opportunities for people who need those jobs the most.”

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