next time, chain that thing to your wrist

This week in New York, Korean violinist Hahn-Bin accidentally left his violin, an 18th-century instrument valued at up to $600,000, in a taxi cab. Thankfully, the violin was recovered later that day with the help of GPS: Lost Violin and Owner Are Reunited.

The violinist had taken a bus to Lincoln Center after playing a concert in the Hamptons over the weekend. He then took a cab back to his apartment in Chinatown, arriving past midnight. Exhausted from the trip, he didn't realize that his credit card and his violin were still in the cab.

After taking a shower, he realized his mistake, and (probably after a minor freak out) called 311. It's not every day you lose your ridiculously expensive Giovanni Francesco Pressenda violin in the back of a cab.

But finding the violin took less than an hour, thanks to the new Global Positioning System technology installed in cabs. The driver -- who had gone home to New Jersey -- hadn't yet realized the instrument was in his car.

Way back in 1999, Yo-Yo Ma left his cello in the trunk of a taxi, kicking off a citywide search to find the $2.5 million Montagnana. A word of advice to folks like Mr. Hahn-Bin and Mr. Ma: when exiting cabs, make sure you've got your wallet, keys, phone, and near-priceless classical instruments.