Violin Strings. General information and review.?

If these strings have been sitting rolled up in those packets for 20 years, it doesn't matter what brand they are. They are garbage. Throw them away. Rolling up strings creates little kinks, which develop into weak spots. For a few months to a year, this might be ok, but this is not good for long-term storage. The strings will deteriorate overall, and doubly so at the weak spots created by the coiling. If the strings are in tubes and stored straight, then you can try and use them. Thomastik is a good brand, and not terribly expensive. Certain things appreciate with age and certain things don't (like "antique" versus "junk"). Strings depreciate over time...you have not hit a gold mine here.