Stradivari violin sold for more than $2.7 million · 2007-04-04 18:07
A centuries-old Stradivari violin sold Monday for more than $2.7 million, well above its estimated worth before the sale, Christie'’s auction house said.
The 1729 instrument, known as the Solomon, Ex-Lambert, went to an anonymous bidder in the auction house’s fine musical instruments sale. Its price, $2,728,000 including the Christie's commission, far outdid its estimated value: $1 million to $1.5 million.
"It's a great concertizing violin" said Ric Heinl, the violin buying agent. "It was a bargain today. It's worth considerably more than that."
Also beating expectations was a cittern, a string instrument like a guitar, believed to have been made at the turn of the 17th century. Despite an estimated value of $4,000 to $6,000, it sold for $180,000 to the National Music Museum at The University of South Dakota.
Last year, another Stradivarius sale broke the world record for the most paid for a musical instrument at auction, according to Christie's. That violin, known as The Hammer, went for more than $3.5 million, Washington Post reports.
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