Khaberni - A rare violin, once owned by the famous scientist Albert Einstein, was sold at a public auction for 860,000 British pounds, equivalent to 1.1 million dollars, a deal considered one of the most remarkable sales of the year in the historical memorabilia market, according to the "BBC".
The violin, made in 1894 by German craftsman Zonter, is believed to be Einstein's first violin. It was expected to sell for only about 300,000 British pounds, before bidding exceeded all expectations at an auction organized by "Dominic Winter" in Gloucestershire, UK.
Chris Albury, head of the auctioneers and a specialist in historical memorabilia, said the auction took about ten minutes, with strong competition among three telephone bidders until the last moment, describing the sale as a "special and exceptional moment".
Albert Einstein's first violin up for auction
Albury explained that many do not know that Einstein was a skilled violinist, having started playing at the age of four, and he continued to play daily throughout his life. He is famously quoted as saying, "If I were not a scientist, I would be a musician."
Alongside the violin, a philosophy book that Einstein gifted to a friend was sold for 2,200 British pounds, while his bicycle seat was not sold and is likely to be re-auctioned later.
Experts believe this sale is the highest price ever recorded for a violin not made by Stradivarius or used by a professional musician, surpassing the previous record set by a violin believed to have been on the Titanic.
The story of this violin dates back to 1932, when Einstein gifted a collection of his personal belongings to his friend and fellow physicist Max von Laue before leaving Germany escaping the rise of Nazism and anti-Semitism.
Einstein's Violin Heads to Auction on October 8th, and about twenty years later, von Laue gifted this instrument to an Einstein admirer named Margret Homrich, whose great-great-granddaughter has offered it for sale in this week's auction.
