A gypsy violinist, who owned an authentic Stradivarius violin dating from the 1730s. He bought the instrument in 1953 from a second-hand dealer for $2,500, thinking it to be the work of Landolfi, a lesser violin maker. Its mellow resonance led him to have it appraised by the late Rembert Wurlitzer, the New York musical instrument dealer, who certified it as the work of Francesco Stradivari, son of the famous Antonio Stradivari of Cremona, Italy. In 1972, no longer able to pay the yearly $3,000 insurance premium, he auctioned it for $42,000.