Federal investigators are searching this Christmas for a ‘grin’ that stole a white Tesla with an antique, 18th-century violin that was allegedly worth as much as $ 900,000 in the vehicle that was unlocked by the owner. .
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is asking for the public’s help in locating the vehicle and a 1710 Amati violin taken by a thief in the Los Feliz department in Los Angeles on Dec. 8.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the instrument, which was made from curled maple and alpine, was in excellent condition.
Auction records indicate that the violin was sold in 2013 for just over half a million dollars. If it goes up for auction today, it’s likely to fetch between $ 700,000 and $ 900,000.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is asking for the public’s help in locating the vehicle and a 1710 Amati violin taken by a thief in the Los Feliz department in Los Angeles on Dec. 8.
The instrument, which was made of curly maple and alpine, was allegedly in excellent condition when stolen
The violin was made by Girolamo (Hieronymus) Amati II, the great-grandson of Andrea Amati, who is considered the inventor of the modern violin.
The violin was made by Girolamo (Hieronymus) Amati II, the great-grandson of Andrea Amati, who is considered the inventor of the modern violin.
It belongs to Rowland Weinstein, an art dealer and gallery owner who divides his time between Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Weinstein allowed his musician friends and professional violinists to play the instrument.
On December 8, he left the violin in his white Tesla sedan parked outside his home and on his property in Los Feliz.
That’s when someone opens the door, takes the violin and flees.
The violin’s owner, art dealer Rowland Weinstein, said he left it in his parked Tesla just outside his home in the Los Feliz department in Los Angeles. Weinstein is seen above in September 2014 in New York City
Weinstein told the LA Times that his car key accidentally slipped out of his pocket and ended up behind the driver’s seat.
The automatic locking mechanism only works when the driver takes the key and leaves the vehicle.
Since the key fell, the doors to the Tesla have been unlocked.
According to the Times, Weinstein transported the violin because he thought the previous location where it was stored was not safe enough.
He only intended to leave the violin briefly inside the car. When he returned, he noticed that the car was gone and called the police.
FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said authorities had not been able to locate the vehicle or the violin so far.
Eimiller said there may have been a car thief in the area and that the instrument was not intended.
“According to LAPD, a car thief was suspected in the area,” Eimiller said.
‘It is possible that the person who stole it may not have known the value and discovered it [later] and can try to pawn or sell it overseas.
“It is therefore critical to make the information known to the public so that anyone who receives or presents it can hopefully identify it and return it to the rightful owner.”
Weinstein is offering a $ 25,000 reward to anyone with information leading to the safe return of the violin.
He told the Times he was “saddened” by the theft.
“I’m responsible for a piece of history and history has gotten away from me,” Weinstein said.
This is the second time thieves have been targeted by Weinstein. In 2011, Mark Lugo of Hoboken, New Jersey walked out of Weinstein’s gallery in San Francisco after taking a 1965 Pablo Picasso pencil drawing, ‘Tete de Femme’.
“It’s so fragile. My biggest fear is that someone who does not know what he has will put it in the wrong environment and that it will be damaged or destroyed. ‘
In October 2013, Weinstein paid $ 507,436 for the violin after it was auctioned off for sale at Tarisio, an online auction house.
Tarisio’s director Jason Price told the Times that scarce instruments are valued annually.
If the 1710 Amati is put up for auction today, it could yield up to $ 900,000, according to Price.
Two years ago, another Amati violin, manufactured somewhere around 1700, was sold at the Ingles & Hayday auction house in London for $ 917,453.
The Amati family from Cremona, Italy, are known as the inventors of the modern violin.
This particular violin was created during the ‘golden period’ in the production of violins.
Although Weinstein is not a musician, he feels a sense of historical responsibility for the artifact given the role of the family in its creation.
“I’m in charge of it,” Weinstein said.
Lugo, pictured above, served 16 months in prison for theft
‘I feel very close to it, because it’s a part of history that has touched so many lives.
“Not just the lives of people who were lucky enough to play it, but those who have heard it for over 300 years.”
This is the second time thieves have been targeted by Weinstein.
In 2011, Mark Lugo of Hoboken, New Jersey, known as the ‘Thomas Crown of art thiefs’, walked out of Weinstein’s gallery after taking a 1965 Pablo Picasso pencil drawing, ‘Tete de Femme’. .
The artwork was recovered by the authorities a while later and Lugo was arrested. He was sentenced to 16 months in prison.
Weinstein said he was stunned that he had been targeted twice by thieves.
“It’s going further than I ever expected,” he said.
“I just hope the violin has the same happy ending as the Picasso.”
The FBI is continuing its investigation, Eimiller said, asking anyone with information to call (310) 477-6565.