Recovered Stradivarius Returned After 35 Years

Phillip Injeian, who sells and repairs instruments from his shop on Penn Ave.in Downtown Pittsburgh, authenticated the 1734 violin, called the Ames Stradivarius, and determined it had been stolen from renowned violinist Roman Totenberg, who died in 2012.

Further detailed examination by the agents and Mr Injeian verified the provenance of the violin, which was later confirmed by an outside appraiser.

Born a Polish virtuoso, Mr. Totenberg made his debut at the of 11 and immigrated to the U.S.in the late 1930s, and was given the Stradivarius by his wife in 1943.

Injeian said Thursday at a news conference in Manhattan that the violin has characteristic markings on the wood grain that are “like a fingerprint”. Seth Wenig/AP Sisters, from left, Amy Totenberg, Nina Totenberg and Jill Totenberg get their first look at their late father’s Stradivarius violin.

The violin was in good condition but sustained marks of wear and tear over all these years. His violin was valued at US$250,000 when it was stolen; these days, the finest Stradivarius violins often sell for millions of dollars.

Totenberg wrote that her mother was so upset over the stolen instrument that she “famously would ask friends if they knew anyone in the mob willing to break into an apartment and search for the violin”.

Roman Totenberg’s Stradivarius lay idle for years.

According to the violist’s daughter, Nina Totenberg, a California woman got the violin appraised in New York after inheriting it from her ex-husband. While authorities and Injeian declined to estimate the instrument’s value, Reuters reported that a similar specimen fetched $15.9 million at auction.

The good news behind the recovery is that the appraisal process seems to be more meticulous than those investigators were in 1980.

Johnson’s obituary described him as “a noted violinist of 40 years” but did not detail where or for whom he played. ‘We believe that the Federal Bureau of Investigation has recovered your father’s stolen violin, ‘ he said. The return of the violin, which was the one one Roman Totenberg performed on till it was stolen, was vital for his household. The violin was recovered this week. Johnson was allegedly seen outside her father’s office around the time of the theft, and one of Johnson’s ex-girlfriends informed the family that she was “quite sure” that he had taken it, according to an article by Nina for NPR.

‘To have it come back, three years after he died, to us, it’s like having him come alive again’.

“This is a remarkable story of a quick-witted violin appraiser who recognized the long-lost Ames Stradivarius and immediately called law enforcement”, Bharara said.

“I actually might hardly consider it on the time”, she advised the AP.

The Stradivarius instruments have become short- hand for excellence – and expensiveness. And once again, the attractive, brilliant and throaty voice of that long-stilled violin will thrill audiences in concert halls around the world.