$170, 000 Violin Returned to Owner

$170, 000 Violin Returned to Owner

Boston music student, Muchen Hsieh at the New England Conservatory, traveled to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Tuesday.

Christine O'Brien, a spokeswoman for the Philadelphia police, who helped Hsieh track down the missing instrument, said Hsieh realized she had forgotten the instrument after she was picked up from the bus station. She blamed her absent-mindedness on travel fatigue.

Hsieh called the bus company, Megabus, approximately 30 minutes after she arrived but the bus had already left the Philadelphia station. The student also notified police, making a plea for the instrument's recovery.

Ellen Pfeifer, spokeswoman for the New England Conservatory, said that it is not unusual for students at Hsieh's school to have such valuable instruments.

The 176-year-old instrument, on loan to Hsieh from a Taiwanese cultural foundation, which is in pristine condition, was made in 1835 by Vincenzo Jorio in Naples.

The violin was found by bus cleaners in the same compartment in which Hsieh left it. They put it in storage, and police returned it to Hsieh on Friday.

"This is certainly one of the most expensive items I have ever heard of and we were so relieved to get it back to the owner," said Megabus spokesman Bryony Chamberlain, adding that people often forget stowed-away items after long trips.

Posted by James Fried on Friday December 30 2011, 9:19 AM EDT. Ref: Reuters. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0