In an astonishing heist, hundreds of Celtic coins, more than 2000 years old and worth millions, were stolen under 10 minutes from a German museum.
The theft took place at the Celtic and Roman Museum in Manching, a city in Germany’s Bavaria region and mere 70kms away from Munich. An unidentified number of thieves conducted the heist on Tuesday during the opening hours of the museum. They broke open the glass cases which had the coins on display after bypassing security. The thieves also cut off the telephone and internet connection at the museum so as to avoid any contact with outside authorities as the theft was taking place. The whole theft was over in barely 9 minutes before any outside party could interfere.
In total, it is believed that 483 coins were stolen from the museum. These coins were discovered in 1999 during an excavation near Manching. They were identified as being Celtic in origin – belonging to the Celtic settlements in southern Germany. Research dated them back as early as the 3rd century BCE. Collectively, these coins were worth millions of euros in the market, as informed by the local police.
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Markus Blume (Minister of Science and Arts, Bavaria) said: “As a testament to our history, the gold coins are irreplaceable.”. The museum also announced that it will remain closed for the time being.
