WASHINGTON, July 27 (Xinhua) -- An antique violin worth 250,000 U.S. dollars was pawned for 50 in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, authorities said.

The 1759 handcrafted Ferdinando Gagliano instrument surfaced at a pawn shop in Somerville last week. The bows alone were valued at 16,000 to 18,000 dollars, according to the store manager Dylan McDermitt.

As per the shop policy, the pawn shop planned to hold on to the violin for 30 days before listing it on the market, but before the shop was able to capitalize on the deal, local police informed them that the violin was stolen earlier in July from a local house.

The police were expected to pick up the violin Friday.