The current record-holder for the most expensive musical instrument sold at auction is another Stradivari violin: the 1721 Lady Blunt Stradivarius, named for the granddaughter of the British ...
The 1721 Lady Blunt Stradivarius sold for a record $15.9 million (£13 million) in 2011. Before Si-Hon Ma, the Joachim-Ma violin was owned by Joseph Joachim, the 19th century Hungarian violinist.