British law enforcement say they have found a 1696 Stradivarius worth £1.2m (about $1.8 million and about 1.3 million euros) that was stolen in 2010, according to The Guardian. British Transit Police also found two bows that are worth a combined £67,000 (about $102,000 and 77,000 Euros).
The instrument and the bows were stolen from violinist Min-Jin Kym while she was eating at a coffee shop. Now that they’ve returned, Kym says she is “on cloud nine” and has “an incredible feeling of elation.”
"This had been the instrument I had been playing on since I was a teenager, so it was a huge part of my identity for very many years," the 35-year old Korean native said.
John Maughan was sentenced to four and half years in jail for the crime. He and his two accomplices were caught trying to sell the million-dollar instrument for £100 (about $152 and 114 Euros) in an internet café.
There were reports earlier this year that the Stradavarious had been found in Bulgaria. However, it turned out to be a 100-year old replica.
This time experts say the police have found the real deal. The two bows—a bow made by the School of Bazin worth £5,000 (about $7,600 and 5700 Euros) and a Peccatte bow worth £62,000 (about $94,000 and $71,000 Euros)—and the instrument suffered “very minor” damages according to police. The bows were recovered somewhere in the Midlands.
"It's been a very difficult journey; I still can't quite believe quite what has happened,” Kym said. “The loss of the instrument, and the acute responsibility I felt, was always at the back of my mind at every moment of the day.”
