Sold for 1.6 Billion KRW, Four Times the Pre-Auction Estimate
Einstein Engraved a Name on His Own Violin
The violin played by Albert Einstein when he was 15 years old was sold at auction for approximately 1.6 billion won. On October 9 (local time), British media outlets such as the BBC reported that Einstein's first violin, which he used, was sold for 860,000 pounds (about 1,637,150,000 won) at the Dominic Winter Auctioneers in the United Kingdom. This winning bid is more than four times the pre-auction estimate of 200,000 to 300,000 pounds (about 370,000,000 to 560,000,000 won).
The violin up for auction this time was made in 1894 by German craftsman Anton Kuntner and is believed to have been purchased directly by Einstein when he was 15 years old. Instagram dominicwinterauctioneers
This violin was made in 1894 by German craftsman Anton Kuntner and is believed to have been purchased directly by Einstein when he was 15 years old. In particular, most of the parts, except for the strings and fine-tuning screws, have been preserved in their original state, which is said to add significant historical value. Einstein entrusted this violin to his fellow physicist Max von Laue before emigrating to the United States at the end of 1932 to escape Jewish persecution. It was later passed on to the family of Margarete Homlich, who was a fan of Einstein, and has been preserved by them until recently. Einstein began learning the violin at the age of five and was known to have loved music throughout his life. Notably, Einstein engraved the name "Lina" on the instrument he used, which is said to have been a nickname he gave to the violins he owned during his lifetime.
Violin along with the philosophy book and bicycle saddle submitted for this auction. Instagram dominicwinterauctioneers
In addition, a philosophy book that Einstein gifted to a friend was sold at this auction for 2,200 pounds (about 4,180,000 won). The saddle from the bicycle Einstein rode was also put up for auction, but it has not yet been sold. Another violin owned by Einstein after he settled in the United States was sold for 516,500 dollars (about 700,000,000 won) at a New York auction in 2018. Chris Albury, the chief auctioneer and historical memorabilia expert at Dominic Winter Auctioneers who conducted this auction, stated, "The sale was completed in just 10 minutes," and described it as "a special moment with three telephone bidders competing until the very end."
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