The buyer of the $16 million Vieuxtemps Guarneri violin gave it to violinist Anne Akiko Meyers on a lifetime loan
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■ Grand pianos have extravagant price tags that can start in the low thousands for an entry-level model, while a new oboe won’t leave you much change out of a thousand pounds. The most expensive instrument ever sold was the Vieuxtemps Guarneri violin, which was made in 1741, owned by 19th-century violinist Henri Vieuxtemps and sold at auction for $16 million (£10.5 million) in 2010. BB