Two unrelated questions, which I hope someone can help me with.

First, can anyone tell me if there's a straightforward way to determine if
a violin is of a certain age?  The violin in question is reputed to be
several hundred years old, of northern Italian origin.  I had been
wondering if glues or other materials could be examined in a more or less
non-destructive way to determine approximate age.  Any other suggestions
welcome.  (This is asked in a non-professional capacity--please no flames
asking what a natural history museum is doing with old violins!)

Second, does anyone know of a simple way to convert old unisort cards (the
edge punched cards sorted with a metal rod) to a more readily accessible
format?  What would be ideal is a program for converting them, or leads to
places that could do a simple conversion.  Feel free to respond off list to
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Thanks in advance.

AB



Alex Barker
Chief Curator & Director of Science Programs
Dallas Museum of Natural History
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