<p>sbjdorlo, the insurance company will acquire a current appraisal, or at least a note from the dealer indicating the value of the instrument (if not a full appraisal) to put your violin on the policy. You can take your instrument back to the seller and he will either a) give you the original appraisal for what you paid for it a few years ago, b) re-appraise it (the value may go up or not) and may c) charge you if he does a re-appraisal. Although once I contacted a dealer from whom we had bought some violas for a current appraisal. He just spat them out of his computer and mailed them to us with a bill for $75 apiece without having looked at the instruments in years. I was shocked because other dealers have done this for us as a courtesy-- so be prepared or ask in advance. </p>
<p>The company cannot insure the instrument for more than the dealer says it is worth (that would be fraud.) One thing to keep in mind is that the value of the instrument and how good it sounds are two separate issues-- you can only insure it for what the appraisal says it is worth, even if it would cost more to replace it because it sounds so good (we actually have this same issue with some of our instruments.)</p>
<p>Another thing to consider while putting bits and bobs (like the case, which will inevitably wear out) on the policy: if you make too many claims, the company will drop you. So if you claim $500 for a wrecked case, and later $200 for a bow repair, you may find yourself getting a letter of cancellation. Save the claims for true catastrophes, such as a stolen or dropped instrument that needs to be replace, or that needs a very expensive repair. Another thing to keep in mind (although it will not affect your choice of insurer) is that if the instrument is damaged and repair, its value may change.</p>