Based on the person who crafted it, the one who owned and played it, its rarity and condition, these instruments are most expensive ones ever sold at an auction.
Millions of musical instruments have been made since the Stone Age, yet a few extraordinary pieces are the ones that go for millions. Based on the person who crafted it, the one who owned and played it, its rarity and condition, these instruments are most expensive ones ever sold at an auction.
Gasparo Bertolotti da Salò Viola
Bid: $542,500
As one of the pioneers of violin making, only about 80 instruments made by Gasparo have survived till today. With a family interested in music, crafts and arts, Gasparo developed the art of string making during the 16th century. Gasparo’s viola sold at auction for $542,500 in April 2010.
OM-45 Deluxe Acoustic Guitar from C.F. Martin and Company
Bid: $554,500
With a legacy that started in the mid-1800s, C.F Martin currently makes more than 50,000 instruments per year. However, Martin’s 1929 to 1930 produced Orchestra Model (OM) line is regarded by many as the most beautiful guitar ever made. The OM-45 Deluxe was “King of the Cowboys” Roy Rogers’ guitar of choice and was auctioned in 2009.
Eric Clapton’s Fender Stratocaster: Blackie
Bid: $959,500
Known only by its first name, this Fender Strat was used by Eric Clapton both in studio and on stage. It was customized using a ’56 Stratocaster body, a ’57 neck, and pickups from another instrument. It was sold in 2004 at Christie’s by Clapton himself, in a bid to raise funds for his Crossroads rehab center.
The Lady of Tennant Stradivarius
Bid: $2.03 million
Considered to be the most superior instruments in terms of quality and sound, Stradivarius instruments are expensive because they were crafted by Italian luthier Antonio Stradivari 1680 through the 1730s and are therefore, limited in number. This Stradivarius violin was made in 1699. It sold in 2005 at Christie’s for a then – record-breaking $2.03 million.
John Lennon’s Steinway Z Piano
Bid: $2.1 million
Along with the well documented white grand Steinway, John Lennon and Yoko Ono had a 1970 Steinway Model Z upright piano which is iconic in its own right as it was the instrument ‘Imagine’ was composed and recorded on. It is said to be well worn and with cigarette marks. George Michael purchased it at an auction in 2000 and sent it on tour to sites of violent tragedies, echoing the sentiment of the Imagine’s lyrics.
Hammer Stradivarius Violin
Bid: $3.54 million
Crafted during Stradivarius’ ‘golden era’ in 1707, it is named after the violin’s first owner, Christian Hammer, a 19th-century Swedish collector. This Strad crushed Lady Tennant Strad’s record when it was sold to an anonymous bidder in 2006 for an outrageous $3.54 million after just 5 minutes of bidding.
Lady Blunt Stradivarius Violin
Bid: $15.9 million
Believed to be the best-preserved Stradivari violin offered for sale in the past century, it was auctioned for charitable relief in light of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. The online sale raised a whopping $15.9 million, nearly 5 times the amount of the previous Stradivarius record holder.
Vieuxtemps Guarneri Violin
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Bid: $16 million
Crafted by acclaimed Italian artisan Guiseppe Guarneri in 1741, it is more than 275 years old, and yet is in pristine condition. It has no cracks and has never been repaired or patched. Used by several different classical instrumentalists, it was purchased by an anonymous buyer who has provided lifetime use to top-selling classical violinist Anne Akiko Meyers.
Duport Stradivarius Cello
Caption: The Duport Stradivarius being played by Mstislav Rostropovich in 1978.
Bid: $20 million
Purchased in 2008 by the inexhaustible Strad collectors Nippon Music Foundation, it was named after its owner, cellist Jean-Louis Duport. The most defining factor of the 1711 Stradivari-crafted cello is its visible dent, rumored to be caused by Napoleon Bonaparte from when Duport allowed him to handle it.
MacDonald Stradivarius Viola
Bid: Minimum bid of $45 million, still no secured buyer.
Named after its 19th century owner, it is one of only 10 Stradivarius violas intact today. It was played by the celebrated Peter Schidlof, the co-founder of the Amadeus Quartet, until his death in 1987. It was put up for auction with a stupefying minimum bid of $45 million in 2014 but as it failed to secure a buyer, it is still on the market for the instrument connoisseur.
