A Stradivarius violin “of outstanding power and beauty” used to play Over the Rainbow in The Wizard of Oz is expected to break records when it is put up for auction next week.
The violin, called “da Vinci, ex-Seidel”, is expected to achieve the huge price because of its unique provenance.
The record price for a violin sold at auction was set by the “Lady Blunt”, a Stradivarius once owned by the granddaughter of Lord Byron.
When Seidel bought the violin for $25,000 in 1924, it made front page news in the New York Times.