THIEVES AT WORK

Hokitika Guardian, 17 December 1932, Page 6

THIEVES AT WORK

FIFTY MANTELPIECES STOLEN. VALUABLE WORKS OF ART. Fifty* valuable mantelpieces, most of them the work of the famous Adam Brothers, and many of them weighing half a ton, have been stolen from houses and art galleries in various parts of Eg gin ml. Two were sto sen recently from the Devonlijre Club, London. The thefts are believed to be the work of an expert crime organisation known as the ‘’Antique Gang.” The problems facing dealers and connoisseurs are: How do the jnen carry out the thefts and what can thej- do with the stolen property? Antiques and old masters to the value of £1,000,00(1 are stolen regularly each year. Some arc lost for over, but the mantelpieces usually find their way to a wealthy man’s home.

As the result of inquiries it has been revealed the method "by which the gang works and how it disposes of the stolen goods. News is received of the existence of a mantelpiece in a home temporarily unoccupied. A member ol the gang obtains entry to the house and appraises the value of the mantelpiece. If the job is worth while the new s is flashed by cable to their representative in New York asking what he will offer for it. It may he CIOIX* or mere. While the house is still empty an ordinary moving van will drive up to the house. The “moving men” are usually expert masons. iPortion by portion the mantelpiece is removed until it has all been taken away.

Tt is then numbered and readv for shifting. The pieces are put in ordinary packing case and the van drives away. To get the mantelpiece abroad is a simple matte.". Tt is carried in nerts in suit cases or packed away in innocentlocking boxes.