From priceless jewelry to paintings by Vincent Van Gogh, there are no stopping thieves from taking what they want. Sometimes, we never see these things again…
3,000 Pound Vietnamese Copper Bell
Aren’t there easier things to steal than a 1.5-ton bell? The bell was in a Buddhist monastery in Tacoma, Washington and was stolen right under the monk’s noses…
While They Were Meditating…
During the monk’s meditation, the thief came in with a forklift and snatched the bell. The thief tried to sell it, and the police quickly tracked him down.
Patiala Necklace
This gigantic piece of jewelry went missing from the royal treasury of Patiala in 1948. There were 2,930 diamonds on the necklace, including t the 428-carat De Beers diamond, the seventh-largest diamond in the world.
Mostly Lost Forever
Bits and pieces of it have been recovered, but it’ll most likely never been seen again in its fullest form.
Gibson Stradivarius
Known as the most famous violin out there, the Gibson Stradivarius was made in 1713 and stolen twice since then. It was stolen in 1919 but recovered the same year… until it went missing yet again!
The Stradivarius Makes a Comeback
Then, it was stolen in 1936 by Julian Altman, who confessed to his wife that he stole it while on his deathbed in 1985. She returned it in 1988. It’s worth $15 million.
Caravaggio’s Nativity
The painting was completed in 1609 and was on display in the Oratory of San Lorenzo. It’s known as one of Caravaggio’s most famous paintings… Obviously worth millions. Someone decided to take it for themselves…
Never Seen Again
It was stolen in October of 1969 and has never been recovered. It’s valued at $20 million.
Picasso’s Le Pigeon aux Petits-Pois
This piece of art was among the five paintings stolen at the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris in May 2010. The Picasso was the most valuable (of course!) and has never been returned.
Caught The Thief
The thief was caught in 2011, but the Picasso was long gone. The thief literally threw them all out…
Third Imperial Fabregé Egg
Out of the 50 bejeweled eggs created by the House of Fabregé, it’s the only one that has been recovered after the Russian Revolution in 1917.
The Iconic Eggs
It was found in the American Midwest, weirdly enough! It was at a scrap metal dealership. Luckily, someone caught it and was able to return it.
Rembrandt’s Self-portrait with Beret and Gathered Shirt
During an armed raid of the National Museum in Stockholm, this popular painting was stolen in the year 2002.
Hanging In Copenhagen
It turned up in Copenhagen three years later It’s since been returned and is under heavy lock and key!
Van Gogh’s Poppy Flowers
This gorgeous piece was painted by Vincent Van Gogh in 1887. It was stolen once in 1977 and returned 10 years later…
Stolen Once Again
It was stolen again in 2010 but has yet to be found… Hopefully, this masterpiece will turn up eventually!
Cellini Salt Cellar
This salt dispenser is worth about $65 million dollars. That’s a bit much for something to hold salt, isn’t it? It was made in 1543 and is considered the ‘Mona Lisa of sculptures.’
Not Very Sneaky
It was stolen in 2003 but found in 2006. The thief buried it deep in an Austrian forest, where random explorers found it.
Da Vinci’s Madonna of the Yarnwinder
Yet another Da Vinci piece stolen! This one was on display for 236 years before it was stolen in 2003. Two thieves posing as tourists snatched it under everyone’s noses… In the middle of the day!
Foiled Again
It was found in 2007 when the thieves tried selling it… As if anyone wouldn’t notice. These thieves were not very bright.
Cézanne’s The Boy in the Red Vest
This piece was painted in 1890 and stolen in 2008 from a foundation in Zurich, Switzerland.
The Boy Is Home
Luckily, The Boy was recovered in Serbia, of all places, four years later!
Rembrandt’s The Storm on the Sea of Galilee
This is, arguably, Rembrandt’s most popular piece… And it will most likely never be found again. In one of the biggest heists ever, this painting will forever be lost in time… So, what happened?
A Huge Loss
It was stolen from the Isabella Gardener Museum in Boston in 1990 along with 12 high-profile other pieces. At the time, it was the biggest art heist ever. Most of the other paintings haven’t been found.
Raphael’s Portrait of a Young Man
This piece was one of the many stolen (or destroyed) by the Nazi’s during WWII. At the time, Nazi’s were known for attempting to destroy any and all works of art that they came across just so any Jewish culture could cease to exist.
The Portrait Allegedly Survived
For some reason, this was an exception. It was last seen in Nazi official Hans Frank’s home but has been missing since 1945.
Van Eyck’s The Just Judges Panel
This piece was stolen in 1934, and someone did end up to confessing to stealing it just a few months later…
Not Telling Anyone
Except, he was on his deathbed, and refused to tell people where it was. People assume it has been destroyed after failing to find it.
Munch’s The Scream
There are four recreations of this piece, but the most famous one is the 1893 version. That one lived in the National Gallery in Oslo, Norway when it was stolen in 1994.
The Scream Returns
The police were able to quickly track down the thieves and return the piece, unharmed, to the gallery. A lesser valuable version had also been stolen and returned. A real hot commodity!
Klimt’s Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I
Jewish banker Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer owned this piece, a portrait of his wife, when it was stolen from him by Nazi’s in 1941. It was missing for a while until it ended up in safe hands at an Austrian gallery.
Getting It Back
Then, Block-Bauer’s niece claimed the painting of her aunt in 2006. It’s estimated to be worth about $150 million.
Vermeer’s The Concert
The Concert was stolen with Rembrandt’s The Storm on the Sea in 1990 in the biggest art heist ever. Like the Rembrandt piece, it shared a similar fate…
Gone But Not Forgotten
The FBI had a lead of someone in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania attempting to sell it in an organized crime syndicate, but quickly lost sight of it.
Hope Diamond
This diamond allegedly carries a curse, but that didn’t stop thieves from snatching it. The gem was first stolen from a French crown in 1791…
Still Stolen… Technically
It was re-cut and made into this necklace. It lives in the Smithsonian now! For some reason, it was never returned to the family of the crown holder… Maybe that’s why it’s allegedly cursed.
Amber Room
You’re probably thinking, “How could someone steal an entire room?” Well, this is more so on a hunch. The room resided in the Catherine Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Did The Room Move?
Somehow, the Nazi’s overtook this chamber and moved it to what was then East Prussia. The room is thought to be destroyed, along with the rest of the castle, but some like to think that it’s still out there somewhere…
Empire State Building
Now, the Empire State Building wasn’t physically stolen. Moreso, it was figuratively stolen by a loophole found by the New York Daily News. Journalists were able to get the city to transfer the deeds to a fraudulent party using a fake notary stamp.
Just Kidding!
Obviously, this was just to showcase people how easily things could go wrong. The Daily News returned the building to the owners.
Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa
The Mona Lisa was residing in the Louver when it was stolen by an employee in 1911.
Can’t Touch This
It was returned in 1913 and has since been heavily guarded. It’s estimated to be worth about $2 billion, making it the most valuable painting.
Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers
In 2005, the slippers were stolen while they were on display at the Judy Garland Museum. A fan of Garland’s even offered $1 million for their safe return.
Back To Kansas
Eventually, they were tracked down by police and recovered in 2018.
Dinosaur Bones
A thief named Eric Prokopi stole the remains of six dinosaurs from Mongolia and smuggled them into the US. The FBI caught up with the thief and arrested him. Weirdly enough, he only went to jail for three months.
Inflatable Gorilla
In 2010, a $6,000 inflatable gorilla was stolen from a car dealership in California. Eventually, they found it at a nearby high school. No one knows who did it!
A Ton of Nutella
Inside of a parked truck was $20,000 worth of Nutella. Someone decided that was worthy enough to steal, and took all of it. That’s a big loss for the company, and for all of the Nutella lovers out there!
20,000 Pounds of Cheese
Could you guess that this happened in Wisconsin? Someone stole a semi-truck that contained all of the precious cheese… It’s estimated to have been worth around $46,000. Forget the money, that’s a lot of cheese to disappear!
$30,000 Worth of Hair Extensions
In Largo, Maryland, a hair salon reported that two huge bins of hair extensions had been stolen overnight. Luckily, their security camera caught the perp and they were able to retrieve them. That’s a lot of money and a lot of hair!
Saturn RL-10 Rocket
This engine was taken from NASA a while ago, but it wasn’t anything that they were worried about. It’s not super valuable, but good enough for someone who doesn’t have much. The police noticed this being sold online and got the perp.
Maple Syrup
720,000 gallons of maple syrup went missing 2012 in Canada (naturally). When it was found, the thieves claimed they bought it. Nope!