, we did know what other stradivarius cellos had sold for. could compare the quality of this one to those. jamie: back in 2002, a similar cello sold for $5 million. but over the past several years collectors have driven the price of rare instruments way up. each one has its own history. a unique story in whether it fetches a six, seven, or eight figure price at auction. nobody knows this cello's story better than elena's husband. nicholas. a novelist by trade. nicholas wrote an entire book about the instrument. it's the countess. it explains the pain staking restoration back in the 1990s. >> the wear-and-tear of such instruments is high. aside from the physical stress there's change in climate. change in temperature. change in humidity. at a certain point the cello was almost as weary as he. >> nicholas' book describes a harrowing process. the cello sat in pieces for months while some of its wood was patched. >> bernie got more and more restless and more and more ready to have his heart's darling returned. he said then i will never let it go