‘Wizard of Oz’ Violin Could Fetch $20 Million at Auction
variety.comJon Burlingame editorA 300-year-old violin, reputed to have been played on the Oscar-winning “Wizard of Oz” score, will go on the auction block next month and could fetch as much as $20 million.The rare Stradivarius belonged to Odessa-born Toscha Seidel, widely considered one of the greatest violinists of the 20th century, famed for his rich tone and emotional intensity.Estimates are that the violin could bring between $16 million and $20 million at auction, partly because of its excellent condition and partly because of its history.
There are about 600 Stradivarius violins in existence worldwide; the highest price paid for a Strad was $15.9 million in 2011, so the Seidel instrument could mark a new world record.
Seidel made his American debut at New York’s Carnegie Hall in 1918 and toured the U.S., Europe and Australia throughout the 1920s.
He was a frequent performer on New York-based CBS Radio in the early 1930s but moved to California in 1938 to pursue more lucrative movie studio work.His best-known film work was in 1939’s “Intermezzo,” which starred Leslie Howard as a violinist who falls in love with his accompanist, played by Ingrid Bergman.
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