A musician who went into a central London sandwich shop to buy something to eat has had a 300-year-old Stradivarius violin worth £1.2 million ($1.9 million) stolen, police said on Monday.
British Transport Police have launched a public appeal to get the rare instrument back and the musician's insurer, Lark Insurance Broking Group, has offered a £15,000 reward for information leading to its recovery.
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Detective Inspector Andy Rose said the theft took place on the evening of Monday, November 29, outside Euston train station. After going to a Pret A Manger cafe, the violinist noticed her violin case had been taken and called the police.
Inside the case was a 1696 Antonio Stradivarius antique violin as well as a Peccatte bow, valued at £62,000, and another bow made by the School of Bazin valued at more than £5,000.
via Grab a sandwich, lose a $1.9 million Stradivarius | Reuters

Graham Spicer is a writer, director and photographer in Milan, blogging (under the name ‘Gramilano') about dance, opera, music and photography for people “who are a bit like me and like some of the things I like”. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy.
His scribblings have appeared in various publications from Woman's Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the ‘Danza in Italia' column for Dancing Times magazine.