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Gold Shipwreck Bar Valued at $550,00 Stolen from Mel Fisher Museum
One of the most iconic and best-known objects’ at the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum was taken. The gold bar came from a 1622 shipwreck that Fisher discovered.
The Mel Fisher Maritime Museum in Key West, Florida holds the richest single collection of 17th-century maritime and shipwreck antiquities in the Western Hemisphere, including treasures and artifacts from the Atocha and Santa Margarita.
It was reported that two thieves entered a museum shortly after closing at 5PM and stole a 74.85-ounce, 11-inch (28-centimeter) gold bar which was inside a glass display case with a small opening where visitors could stick a hand inside and lift the bar to examine it.
Photo Credit: Miami Herald/Florida Keys News Bureau
Police and the FBI are working to identify the suspects who took the gold bar which had been on display for more than 20 years. Surveillance captures caught the faces of these two men, believed to be the suspects who walked off with the gold bar.
According to Alyson Crean, Key West Police spokeswoman, one suspect is described as a white male, about six feet tall with dark hair and a medium build. The second suspect is about five feet, six inches tall.
Anyone with information about these men should contact the Key West Police Department at (305) 809-1111.
The Gold bar has an estimated value of $550,000 and the Museums insurance company is offering a $10 thousand reward.
“Everybody who comes to the museum is encouraged to lift the gold bar and to have a firsthand experience with history,” said Melissa Kendrick, the museum’s executive director. “This is one of the most iconic and best-known objects in the museum.”
“The security systems worked because we knew the bar was stolen within 10 minutes, and we have usable video and photos for law enforcement,” Kendrick said. “The museum made a decision to designate this as a handling object, allowing people to touch the artifact, and this was part of the risk involved in granting public access.”
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Gary Mattox | Oct 6, 2010 | Reply
Any one who has followed the discovery Mel made knows about the loss his family has had. I am sure if this bar could bring back family and friends it would gladely have been given up.
But to have some low life steal this history that the Fishers shared with the world is proof of preditors who do not care about others and their hard work and loss.
I can only hope the guilty will be curssed for their deeds.
Myles Fitzgerald | Jan 20, 2012 | Reply
man i dont know what to say about this, i know Mel is rich enough to not really be financially affected by it, but all the future kids and people that wouldve had a chance to touch and feel history have also had it stolen from them, and that sucks!!