I generally get five or six calls a year from readers who have one too and I always tell them the same thing: Sears & Roebuck made a line of violins with a Stradivarius label. They are everywhere. But, I also always tell people that if they truly believe they have a 300+ year old violin then they should contact a qualified music appraiser. I also always ask that anyone who finds out they have a real Strad to give me a call back so we can do a story. In 20 years, no one has ever called back.

But, there are real Stradivarius violins out there. It's just that they are accounted for.

Below is a press release from Christie's about their recent sale of a Strad.

According to Christies, a violin known as The Hammer made by Antonio Stradivari in 1707, achieved $3,544,000, smashing the previous world auction record for any musical instrument against a presale estimate of $1,500,000-2,500,000. This price largely surpasses the previous record of $2,032,000 realized by The Lady Tennant Stradivari sold in April 2005 at Christie’s New York.

With only 620 Stradivari in existence, The Hammer survives in a wonderful state of preservation. With its superb outline and the use of the finest materials, the violin dates from the maker’s ‘Golden Period’ (1700-1720). These works are the ones most coveted by collectors and musicians for both their beauty and superior tonal qualities. The violin’s name, The Hammer, derives from the 19th century Swedish collector of the same name (Christian Hammer).