A Stradivarius violin made in 1696 was sold at auction for $2,263,275. This particular violin comes with a unique story, as it was stolen three years ago from internationally-known violinist Min-Jin Kym in a cafe and found this past summer at a home in England.
The violin was made at the Cremona, Italy workshop of Antonio Stradivarius 317 years ago. Kym was very excited when her violin was found, although she had long since replaced it with another Stradivarius. It was not revealed who owned the lost violin once it had been found.
In 2011, John Maughan was sentenced to jail for four and a half years for the theft of the violin, and two teenagers were also sentenced for involvement. The Stradivarius is still in good working condition and is very attractive. The reported new owner of the instrument is a music festival led by an English violinist.
Courtesy of The Guardian
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/dec/18/stolen-stradivarius-sold-auction