Just hours after a high-profile jewelry theft at Paris’s Louvre Museum, another French cultural institution suffered a major loss — this time of numismatic significance.
According to French media reports, thieves broke into the Maison des Lumières (House of Enlightenment) in Langres, eastern France, on the night of Oct. 19 and made off with about 2,000 silver and gold coins valued at more than $100,000. The stolen pieces were part of a historic exhibition showcasing France’s economic and cultural heritage and had been kept in a secure display area inside the Hôtel du Breuil-de-Saint-Germain, which houses the museum.
When staff arrived the following morning, they discovered a smashed display case and quickly realized the entire collection had been taken. Local officials said the culprits forced entry into the building and carried out the robbery “with great expertise and precision,” suggesting a well-planned and targeted operation. No arrests have been made, and police have not named any suspects.
The heist occurred only hours after a separate theft at the Louvre in Paris, where a group of masked robbers disguised as construction workers entered the Gallery of Apollo and stole eight pieces of French crown jewelry valued at roughly $102 million. Authorities have not confirmed any link between the two incidents, though the timing and methodical execution of both have drawn comparisons.
French police are continuing their investigation into both robberies, which have sparked renewed concern about the security of national museum collections and the growing black-market trade in cultural property, including coins and other small, high-value artifacts.