The instruments, most of which were donated to Julliard, are lent to students for appearances in competition and other events. They include instruments by Stradivari, del Ges‹, Amati, Bergonzi, Gagliano, Guadagnini, and others.
In his forward, Perlman writes, "The true measure of the collection's value is not its substantial monetary worth, but its availability as a resource for the many talented young string players at Juilliard who lack a performance-quality instrument. I should know, since I was one such student when I won the Leventritt Competition in 1964 with the 1731 Guarneri del Ges‹, on loan from the collection."