$1.98 M. Worth of Gold Pieces Stolen From the Treasure of Villena
Thieves stole much of Spain’s Treasure of Villena from the Villena Museum in a four-minute robbery on Thursday morning, with the alarm sounding around 5:20 a.m. and the perpetrators gone by 5:24 a.m., according to local officials cited by the Guardian. The Treasure of Villena comprises about 66 Bronze Age objects dating to around 1000 BCE, including 29 bracelets, 11 bowls, and three bottles; officials said some items were left behind, including three silver vessels, a bracelet, and parts of the bastón del reyezuelo (“Kingfisher staff”). Villena mayor Fulgencio Cerdán said “most of the treasure” was taken, with the stolen gold estimated at €1.7 million (about $1.98 million). Spanish government representative Manuel Pineda said the thieves arrived in several vehicles and entered through a window, and archaeologist Mauro Hernández of the University of Alicante described the heist as carefully planned, noting a suspicious alarm at a city sports center beforehand; the theft followed a Europol warning that European museums face increased robbery risks for precious metals and jewelry.
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This story was covered in Icons Fall, Museums Wobble, Art World Under Watch