Thieves Snatch 2,500-Year-Old Celtic Gold Torque from French Museum in Broad Daylight
A 2,500-year-old Celtic gold torque from the Vix Treasure was stolen in broad daylight on July 24 from the Musée du Pays Châtillonnais – Trésor de Vix in Châtillon-sur-Seine, Burgundy, according to Le Parisien and France 3. Dijon prosecutor Olivier Caracotch said the thieves entered around 10:30 a.m. by paying admission, smashed the display case, and fled through the main entrance; an organized-crime investigation has been opened with assistance from the JIRS in Nancy. Mayor Jérémie Brigand said the museum had faced two failed nighttime burglary attempts in the prior eight months and had spent about €150,000 (about $171,000) on upgraded cameras and detectors, but described the stolen torque as “priceless” and unique. The report situates the theft amid a wider wave of French museum robberies, referencing a Louvre jewel heist valued at $102 million and a recent Lalique Museum theft estimated at $4.57 million.
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This story was covered in Museum Power Shifts and Daylight Gold Heists