Albert Einstein's violin to go under the hammer

A violin that once belonged to Nobel Prize winning scientist Albert Einstein will be sold at auction by Bonhams in New York.

The violin could sell for between $100,000 and $150,000 (USD). The violin was made in 1933 by Oscar Steger and given to Einstein after his  arrival in the United States as a resident scholar at Princeton University.

Inside is the inscription "Made for the world's greatest scientist Professor Albert Einstein by Oscar H. Steger, Feb 1933 Harrisburg, PA".  

"Einstein was an incredible musician actually. He started playing the violin when he was 5- or 6-years-old. And by the time he was 13, he discovered his love of Mozart. That was pretty much a lifelong passion. And he would rearrange his schedule to be able to meet with his friends every Wednesday to play the violin," said Ian Ehling (pronounced Yahn Eeling), the director of printed books and manuscripts at Bonhams in New York.

Einstein was once quoted as saying, "Life without playing music is inconceivable for me. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music, I get most joy in life out of music."

Also on the auction block is a letter written by Einstein distancing himself from the atomic bombs that the U.S. dropped on Japan. The letter also has a pre-sale estimate of between $100,000 and $150,000 USD.

The Books and Manuscripts sale is scheduled for March 9 in New York.

Other highlights include Ludwig Van Beethoven's autographed manuscript of part of the score of his Scottish Song, "Sunset" Op. 108 no 2. It could fetch up to $120,000.

"It is an incredibly vivid testament to Beethoven's genius. He invests so much energy and time and what actually is a pretty simple piece of music," said Ehling.

Isaac Newton's autographed manuscript in Latin detailing how to create the Philosopher's Stone could sell for up to $300,000.

The Bible Ulysses S. Grant used during his presidential inauguration and a prism used by Benjamin Franklin are also for sale. As is a second edition of Saint Augustine's magnum opus. The book was printed in 1468 and is one of the earliest books printed in Rome. 

Ehling said, "This sale only includes 33 lots and the estimate is around 2.5 million dollars. And we kind of tailored the sale or curated the sale around just outstanding objects."