On October 8, 2025, a violin that once belonged to Albert Einstein—the renowned theoretical physicist whose name is synonymous with scientific genius—was sold at Dominic Winter Auctioneers in South Cerney, Gloucestershire, for a staggering sum. The instrument, crafted in 1894 by Munich-based luthier Anton Zunterer, fetched a hammer price of £860,000. With the addition of a 26.4% buyer's premium, the final sale price soared to £1.068 million, setting a new house record for the auctioneers and potentially marking the highest price ever paid for a violin not previously owned by a concert violinist, according to auctioneers cited by BBC News.
The sale, which played out over the span of about ten minutes, saw fierce competition among four phone bidders, all private buyers from the UK or Europe. The bidding kicked off at £150,000 and climbed steadily in £10,000 increments until it reached £500,000, at which point the increments increased to £20,000. The battle for ownership was intense, with one phone bidder even rejoining the fray after initially dropping out. In the end, a private European buyer emerged victorious, securing a piece of both musical and scientific history.
Senior auctioneer and historical memorabilia specialist Chris Albury described the event as a "special moment" and a "particularly precious and exciting item to handle." As he told BBC Radio Gloucestershire, "We had three phone bidders heavily involved up until the very end." The price achieved shattered Dominic Winter Auctioneers' previous house record, which had stood at £190,000 since 2001 for a 19th-century Edinburgh Calotype Club photograph album.
But what makes this violin so extraordinary? Beyond its fine craftsmanship and age, it was owned and played almost daily by Einstein himself. According to Dominic Winter Auctioneers, Einstein began playing the violin at around the age of four (some reports say five or six) and continued throughout his life. He once remarked that he would have liked to be a musician if not a physicist, and his second wife Elsa famously said she fell in love with him "because he played Mozart so beautifully on the violin." The instrument is etched on the back with the word "Lina"—short for "violina"—by Einstein himself, a name he reportedly gave to all his violins. Chris Albury noted, "To see this etched onto the back panel was hair-raising."
The violin's provenance is equally compelling. Einstein bought it shortly before leaving Munich to continue his schooling in Arrau, Switzerland, at around the age of 15. The instrument accompanied him through some of the most formative years of his life, including the so-called "Annus Mirabilis" of 1905, when the 26-year-old published four groundbreaking papers that revolutionized physics: on the photoelectric effect, Brownian motion, special relativity, and mass-energy equivalence. Albury emphasized, "In my opinion, this Zunterer ‘Lina’ violin is more important, as it would seem to be the one he would have been playing through his early adult life, most notably when he published his important papers on relativity in 1905 and 1915."
In late 1932, as the climate in Germany became increasingly hostile due to the rise of antisemitism and Nazism, Einstein left for America. Before departing, he gifted the violin to his close friend and fellow physicist Max von Laue. Von Laue, in turn, passed it on about 20 years later to Margarete Hommrich, an Einstein admirer from Braunschweig. The violin was proudly displayed in her home and eventually passed down through generations, culminating in its sale by her great-great-granddaughter in 2025.
The violin was not the only Einstein-related artifact to go under the hammer that day. A philosophy book, signed twice by Einstein on the spine label, also sold for £2,200. The book, a work by Descartes and Spinoza, was given to Einstein by his father Hermann to encourage the study of Latin. It played a role in shaping Einstein’s philosophical views, particularly his embrace of Spinoza’s pantheistic ideas. As Einstein famously stated, "I believe in Spinoza’s God." The sale of the book, while modest compared to the violin, nonetheless drew significant interest from collectors and scholars alike.
Another item, the Nelson saddle from Einstein’s bicycle—also left to von Laue—was offered at the auction but did not meet its reserve. The auction house announced it would be relisted in a future sale. The bike saddle stands as a quirky reminder of Einstein’s well-documented love of cycling, a pastime he once described as providing clarity of mind.
The violin’s journey from Einstein’s hands to the auction block is a tale that weaves together music, science, and history. When the instrument arrived at Dominic Winter Auctioneers for analysis, its sound post and bridge were both detached, and it had not been played for a very long time. However, as Chris Albury recounted, "This was easily rectified professionally and a short performance with it can be heard on our website." The violin was described in the auctioneer’s catalogue as being in "good, although shabby" condition, with wear consistent with "ordinary playing." Despite its age and use, a formal condition report and professional demonstration confirmed it could still be played at a professional level—a fact that reassured would-be bidders who had inquired about its musical viability.
The sale of Einstein’s violin also stands out in the world of musical memorabilia. According to BBC News, the price achieved may be the highest ever for a violin not previously owned by a concert violinist or made by a legendary maker like Stradivarius. For comparison, the violin played as the Titanic sank sold for £900,000 in 2013, making Einstein’s instrument’s final price all the more remarkable.
This was not the first time a violin linked to Einstein has gone under the hammer. In March 2018, a violin gifted to him by luthier Oscar H Steger when he arrived in the United States in 1933 was sold by Bonhams in New York for $516,500 (£370,000). Yet, as Chris Albury pointed out, the Zunterer "Lina" violin holds even greater significance, having been with Einstein during the years he published his most influential scientific work.
For many, the story of Einstein’s violin is more than just a tale of a valuable artifact changing hands. It is a reminder of the multidimensional nature of genius—the way creativity, curiosity, and artistry can intersect in a single life. As the violin finds a new home, it carries with it the echoes of Mozart, the spirit of scientific discovery, and the enduring legacy of one of history’s most extraordinary minds.
