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 The
British police recently announced that they have recovered the 300-year-old
violin that was stolen near a London train station back in 2010. Officials
said the Stradivarius violin, which is worth about 2.1 billion won,
was found in a central England house. Although officials did not reveal
how they found the instrument, they did add
that apart from a few scratches,
the violin seemed to be in good condition.
“We’re delighted to have recovered the violin after a long and complex
investigation,” said Detective Chief Inspector Simon Taylor.
 The Stradivarius
belongs to acclaimed Korean
violinist Kym Min-jin. She reported it missing three years ago after
she noticed that her violin case
was missing while she stopped to buy a sandwich at a railway cafe.
The instrument was permanently loaned to Ms.
Kym by a British music enthusiast in 2008. Ms. Kym said she “thought
about the theft every day, even in her dreams,” and was overjoyed
to learn it was found. “It has been a very difficult journey,” she
said. “I still can’t quite believe what has happened.”
During the search, police asked the public for help and released
CCTV footage on the BBC. In 2011,
two teenagers were arrested in connection with the theft,
after they had tried to sell the violin for less than $200 in an Internet
cafe.
Stradivarius violins were made by Antonio Stradivari, the world’s
most celebrated violin maker,
in the 1600s. The Italian made 1,116 instruments, including violas,
guitars, and cellos. Today, only 600 survive. Ms. Kym’s violin was
made in 1696. |
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