A 310-year-old violin worth £250,000 that was left in a train luggage rack has been returned to its owner.
Stephen Morris, 51, was left "devastated" when he realised he had not taken his antique violin with him when he got off the London to Orpington service at Penge East last week.
The violin is one of only a few made by master craftsman David Tecchler in 1709.
The instrument was handed back to Mr Morris in a supermarket car park in Beckenham after secret negotiations, according to the BBC.
Plain-clothes police officers reportedly attended the handover, as the man who had the violin said he had made a mistake, gave back the violin and apologised.
Mr Morris told the broadcaster that having the violin back had not yet "sunk in" adding that he had felt "battered and bruised."
"I haven't had a great deal of sleep since it went missing," he said.
Mr Morris, who has played on film scores including The Lord Of The Rings and James Bond and recorded with David Bowie and Stevie Wonder, was set to use another borrowed violin for concerts before before his was given back.
Earlier this week British Transport Police said the violin had been stolen, after another man took it off the train at Bromley South, before he boarded a connecting train to St Mary Cray.
Officers released a CCTV image of a man believed to have taken the violin, sparking appeals on social media.
The breakthrough came on Thursday when Mr Morris received a direct Twitter message, which reportedly read: "I recognise the person in the picture.
"I think it may be somebody I know - I'd like to be of help. I know what it's like to leave valuables on a train."
After further contact was made with the Twitter user, it was suspected that he was the individual who had taken the violin.
At the handover, Mr Morris said: "He was very apologetic, he said he wanted to hand it to me in person."
BTP said it would be taking no further action against the man because he had taken reasonable steps to contact the violin owner and had handed it back.
