Roy Acuff’s Fiddle Turns Up … in a Kansas City Goodwill?!
Employees at a Goodwill story in Kansas City, Mo., recently received an unexpected donation: a fiddle, formerly owned by country legend Roy Acuff. No lucky shopper will be getting the piece of country music history for a bargain price, however: The instrument has been put up for auction.
Per the Kansas City Star, Acuff's fiddle was anonymously donated to a Goodwill story located on North Oak in Kansas City. Staff "recognized right away that it was something special," according to Gary Raines, head of the e-commerce program for Kansas City's Goodwill stores, and took the steps to put the item up for auction.
"We have no information on the owner. They just donated it and moved on," Raines shares. "The certificate of authenticity and other paperwork are copies, but we are confident that it’s the real thing.”
The fiddle in question is numbered No. 19; Acuff's uncle, Evart Acuff, made all of the country star's fiddles, and he numbered each instrument. According to a sticker inside of the fiddle, it was made in August of 1945 in Maryville, Tenn., from applewood from a tree on the Acuff family's farm.
Interested fans can bid on Acuff's fiddle via ShopGoodwill.com. The auction will remain open until 11PM CT on Saturday (Jan. 6).
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