Another museum in France has been targeted by bold robbers.
On October 19, around 2,000 gold and silver coins were stolen from the Maison des Lumières Denis Diderot in Landres, only hours after more than $100 million in jewels were stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris.
Workers arrived to the museum, devoted to philosopher and encyclopedist Denis Diderot, on Oct. 21 and saw one of the exhibit cases had been smashed, raising the alarm, according to a statement to French media from local authorities, as reported by the BBC and USA Today.
According to The Sun, the break-in happened on October 19 and remained undiscovered for two days since the museum was closed.
The exhibit case included coins spanning from 1790 to 1840, uncovered during museum renovations in 2011. The stolen coins are valued around €90,000 (or $104,000). According to USA Today, authorities claimed that the crime was carried out with “great expertise and precision.”
It’s unclear whether this heist is linked to the Louvre theft.
Just hours before the historic coins were discreetly stolen, four chainsaw-wielding robbers rushed into the Louvre Museum in Paris, forcing a window open and stealing millions of euros in jewelry.
“They snatched jewels from display cases in the museum and left on motorcycles. “An investigation has begun, and a detailed list of the stolen items is being compiled,” a Louvre spokeswoman told PEOPLE shortly after the event occurred.
“Beyond their financial value, these pieces have immeasurable heritage and historical significance. The ministers of culture and interior are on-site with the museum’s management,” the statement said.
What was stolen from the famed museum? According to the Ministry of Culture, nine items were stolen: a sapphire tiara, a sapphire necklace, and a single sapphire earring worn by Queen Marie-Amélie and Queen Hortense; a matching emerald necklace and emerald earrings worn by Marie-Louise (Napoleon Bonaparte’s second wife); a tiara and large brooch belonging to Empress Eugénie; and a brooch known as the “reliquary brooch.”
An expert then informed the BBC that if authorities failed to discover the stolen diamonds within the next two days, they would most likely never be located.
“[Police] know that in the next 24 or 48 hours, if these thieves are not caught, those pieces are probably long gone,” Chris Marinello, CEO of Art Recovery International, told the publication on Oct. 20. “They may catch the criminals but they won’t recover the jewels.”
