@steveduf and others.  Amazon chose to ship my Tertis viola in the same box with five quarts of motor oil.  Amazing.  And no damage other than the case humidity sensor is in pieces (small loss indeed, since I never trust them anyway).  But there is a problem, which I am sure is the reason why I got it so cheap.

The varnish was not fully hardened when placed in the case, and there are two obvious bands across the back plate where the case fabric pattern has been embossed into the surface of the varnish.  The finish appears to be an antiqued French polish which is otherwise very attractive.  There is no color difference between the two areas.  Gloss to Matt to gloss.

I can live with the blemish, but it would be neat if I could restore it to its original glory.  My first option would be to use something like semi chrome polish, but the texture may be too much for effective removal.  Sand paper might be too aggressive.  I have never used naphtha on something new that did not need surface cleaning.  

Any suggestions would be welcomed.  BTW it did have a buzz as well, but that was easily fixed by moving the chin rest a fraction away from the tail piece.  This thing sounds beautiful and is a cannon.