Gold Bar Stolen From Florida Treasure Museum
On Wednesday, August 18th, 2010 thieves were able to steal a $550,000 gold bar from a treasure museum in Florida. The gold bar was found by Mel Fisher and his crew from the wreck of a Spanish galleon.
The 11 inch, 74.85 ounce gold bar was kept on display at the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum in Key West, Florida. The gold bar was kept in a plexiglass case that has an opening where the visitors could reach in and touch and hold the bar.
However, two thieves who can be seen clearly on the museum's security camera footages were successful in getting away with the gold bar.
The footage has been taken into custody by the FBI, which is investigating the theft.
The museum's insurance firm has announced a reward of $10,000 for the gold bar's safe return.
The gold bar was recovered in 1980 from the wreck of the Spanish sailing vessel by the name of Santa Margarita.
As a side note, I have been to Mel Fisher's museum and handled this very same bar. And much to the dismay of my wife, I spent several minutes of my own seeing if there was a way to turn this bar and take it out of its case. What can I say, you just have to try!
The case is a thick plexiglass case with a hole in it so that you can reach in and pick up the bar. The case is designed so that the bar cannot be turned sideways or in any direction at too much of an angle to keep people from getting an end of it through the hole. The hole itself is just big enough to get your hand in providing you don't have a really big hand.
I don't know how they did it but I hope they catch the guys that did. The only thing worse than stealing from another treasure hunter is the government stealing from a treasure hunter. Yea, I know, I tried to get it out of the case too but I wouldn't have walked off with it. I might have peed my pants if it came out but I wouldn't have walked off with it!
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