Wear it bach!
A thief stole a rare 18th-century violin that is said to be worth more than $ 700,000 in California, and he may not even know it, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The 1710 curly alpine spruce and spruce instrument – built by Hieronymus Amati II, one of the most famous violin makers in history – was inside the car of art dealer Rowland Weinstein, which was stolen in the his Los Angeles residency on Dec. 8, according to the report.
The art dealer said he was moving the violin from a previous location he felt was not safe enough when he accidentally left the white Tesla unlocked momentarily as he entered his home. When he returned from inside, the car and the prized possession had disappeared.
An FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller told the newspaper that the agency has no advantages in the case.
“According to LAPD, it is believed there was a car thief in the area,” Eimiller said. “It is possible that the person who stole it did not know the value and discovered it [later] and may try to pawn it or sell it abroad. Therefore, it is essential to make the information available to the public so that, hopefully, someone who receives it or offers it can identify it and return it to its rightful owner.
Weinstein offers a $ 25,000 reward for information leading to the safe return of the violin.
“I’m responsible for a piece of history and that piece of history took me away from me,” Weinstein said on the network. “She is OK. My biggest fear is that someone who doesn’t know what they have will put it in the wrong environment and it will be damaged or destroyed. “
Weinstein bought the violin in October 2013 for $ 507,436 at the online auction house Tarisio. The auction house director says the value of the instrument is likely to appreciate between $ 700,000 and $ 900,000 today, according to the LA Times.
The owner of the gallery told the newspaper that he does not play the violin, but allows friends and professional musicians to play the 310-year-old instrument, which is in excellent condition.
“I feel very close to it because it is a part of history that has touched so many lives. Not just the lives of people who have been lucky enough to touch it, but those who have felt it for 300 years, ”said Weinstein.
Weinstein has been the target of thieves before.
In 2011, a 1965 Pablo Picasso pencil drawing, “Tête de Femme,” was stolen from his San Francisco gallery by a Hoboken man who accidentally walked out of the gallery with art stored under a newspaper. Subsequently, the suspect was arrested and art.
Experts say there are also reasons to be optimistic in this case.
“It doesn’t seem like a planned robbery, it looks like it’s a crime of opportunity based on the facts, so maybe he’s still in Los Angeles, possibly at someone’s house,” Carla Shapreau, a professor at violin of Berkeley Law. .
“When a robbery is planned, there is often a customer. When someone sees an unlocked car, they are more likely to try to pass [an item found inside] locally. But it would be difficult to transfer it to the current trade, especially if it is well publicized.