Gold Bar, Worth $500K, Stolen From Key West Museum...

[PyrateJim]

The whole event was recorded on security cameras. Now between facial recognition and fingerprints...... We will see how it all ends up. There is, after all, only one way out of town.

By vehicle perhaps, but what about private boat or cruise ship or even parcel post (ups/fed ex) and mailed?

 

[mad4wrecks]

Don, thanks for your valuable input and help in stopping a rumor before it got reported as fact.

It is always good to hear from you here on Treasurenet.

Tom

 

[Marc]

On Fox news just now they said something to the effect "because of the historical nature of the bar, it will be difficult to sell" .... and I thought to myself - sadly, how untrue that is... this thing will probably be melted down.

(like many other visitors to the museum, I have held this bar)

 

[PyrateJim]

On Fox news just now they said something to the effect "because of the historical nature of the bar, it will be difficult to sell" .... and I thought to myself - sadly, how untrue that is... this thing will probably be melted down.

(like many other visitors to the museum, I have held this bar)

It is sad, but true. I had those same thoughts, but couldnt put them to type. Didnt want the chance of them being true.

 

[FISHEYE]

Regardless if you get the gold bar back or not,i would recommend that you make a copy of it in lead and have it gold plated to put back in the case.Tourists wont be able to tell if its a real gold bar or not.At the McClarty museum in sebastian all the gold and silver artifacts are replicas.

 

[comfortablynumb]

They'll probably send it in to Cash4Gold and receive a check for $299.95

Classic!

 

[Donovan]

Fisheye,
I understand the logic of using a replica, However, Mel always said that he hated going to a museum and seeing replicas. We are determined not to do that sort of thing. That is more like something that a govt. museum would do.
Our museum comment cards and e-mails always say how touching a piece of history is the most important part of the visit to the Mel Fisher Museum. There are few if any other museums that would allow that sort of thing, especially underwater archaeology exhibits. In 1972 Mel said to me, " I want a museum where students and scholars and the normal common man can come from all over the world and hold in their hands the beautiful things we have found."
The Fisher museum is one of the most popular museums in the country. Literally millions of people have held the beautiful things in their hands. No other museum can say that.

Here is a shot of Mel in 1971 with the First piece of gold from Atocha. An 8 1/2 ft. chain that I found.

 

[ArchaeoX]

Greetings all,

I know you are just as saddened as we at the the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum are about the recent theft of the Santa Margarita gold bar. For over 25 years, the "lift-a-bar" display has been a joy and an inspiration for literally millions of people.

The Mel Fisher Museum's security cameras caught some pretty clear images of the two that took the gold bar. A video of them has been posted on YouTube -

Please post this video wherever you think it will will do some good.

Your help in seeing the bar returned is much appreciated!

Corey Malcom, Archaeologist
Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Society

 

[FISHEYE]

I posted the link on craigs list.

http://treasure.craigslist.org/atq/1910122592.html

http://miami.craigslist.org/pbc/jwl/1910119164.html

http://miami.craigslist.org/mdc/rnr/1910111554.html

http://fortmyers.craigslist.org/lee/wan/1910130974.html

 

[itmaiden]

Amazing, with people standing right in the room. Was that a staffer in the blue shirt ?

Poor container it was in.

itmaiden

 

[old man]

Suspect #1 looks like he has an Eastern European heritage. If he was born in another Country that may cause some problems in recovering the gold bar. Especially if he has ties to a group that can fence the bar. On the other hand if he is in this Country on a passport and visa, it will make it easy to I.D. him from facial recognition on the computerized photo system the Feds have.

 

[Zephyr]

They'll probably send it in to Cash4Gold and receive a check for $299.95

More like $29.99 .... or even $2.99

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

Don't look at me, I can prove that I was in the boon docks riding my lovely mule, looking for leads for my buddy Chagy. It isn't true that I recently deposited a gold bar to my safe deposit box in the UBS. Besides, neither of those gentlemen is as beautiful as I am.

Don Jose de La Mancha

 

[jeff k]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/08/19/florida.gold.bar.stolen/?hpt=C2

 

[Marc]

Welcome to TreasureNet Corey.

I just posted a larger image of the suspects at the top of this post. I hope it helps.

Marc

 

[Lucky Eddie]

Here's a tip for you.

One of those guys is smokin a cigarette.

Likely he will have smoked one before going in and the one he has in his mouth on the way out and dropped the butts.

You need to test the case for any DNA left behind from skin cells where the bar was taken out on the plexiglass, and also find that cigarette butt and get a dna sample from each.

Then run the two dna samples thru the CODIS DNA database using a "familial search". You only need a % age match to ANY member of their family, who is on the database, even if those two perps aren't on it.

From any family % age match start building a family genealogy tree using births deaths marriages and genealogy websites.

Create a couple psychological profiles of these two, and start fitting them to the members of the two genealogical family trees.

When you get a near match, use that to get a warrant to take DNA sample by court order and match it to those you have from the case and ciggarette butt!

Then you have the guys - whether their individual DNA is on the codis database or not.

Tricky eh!



P.s. - remember me when it comes to the reward - I have a not for profit charity foundation it can go too - to help the families of missing children pay for DNA testing for familial searches of the CODIS database in order to track their loved ones.

There's a huge problem in our nation - where going missing is not a crime so without a body these kids just remain missing persons and Police have no legislated responsibility to do squat to find them. That includes not even reveiwing them as cold cases...

Families with their kids missing for 10 or 20 years need closure and without finding remains - theres no crime. Heck our police don't even have a trained cadaver dog.

Trust me - the reward money will be well used and these families deserve all the help they can get coz they have no one else to turn too.

Finding such missing kids is my treasure - for the relief & closure it brings to the families.

You can change your identity but you can't hide your dna - or your families dna.

Cheers

 

[FISHEYE]

Alot of police depts are now using face recognition software to find criminals thru the DMV.None in florida use this software yet.

 

[PyrateJim]

Only a 10k reward for a 500k gold bar?I got a 10k reward from a insurance co for finding a stolen corvette several years ago that was worth 40k.

Insurance company is not going to post a reward based on the "historical value" but on actual, replacement value and then offer a reward at approx. 10% of that. With gold closing at $1228.00 an ounce, that comes out to $91,915.80 melt.

 

[jeff k]

Only a 10k reward for a 500k gold bar?I got a 10k reward from a insurance co for finding a stolen corvette several years ago that was worth 40k.

Insurance company is not going to post a reward based on the "historical value" but on actual, replacement value and then offer a reward at approx. 10% of that. With gold closing at $1228.00 an ounce, that comes out to $91,915.80 melt.

Jim... They'd be lucky to get $150,000 at auction. You can get a good idea what it's worth by checking the Sedwick auctions. A 22oz. Atocha bar went for $27,500 last April when gold was about $1140 per oz.

 

[PyrateJim]

Only a 10k reward for a 500k gold bar?I got a 10k reward from a insurance co for finding a stolen corvette several years ago that was worth 40k.

Insurance company is not going to post a reward based on the "historical value" but on actual, replacement value and then offer a reward at approx. 10% of that. With gold closing at $1228.00 an ounce, that comes out to $91,915.80 melt.

Jim... They'd be lucky to get $150,000 at auction. You can get a good idea what it's worth by checking the Sedwick auctions. A 22oz. Atocha bar went for $27,500 last April when gold was about $1140 per oz.

Jeff, I couldnt agree with you more. That is a conversation I had with Mel several times. Regardless of the "historical value" that is placed on an object, it is only worth what the highest bidder/top dollar ends up being. Base line value will be the value of the metal, in this case, $91,915.80. That is the minimum it is worth. After that, the rest is hype and name. And that my friend, in the shipwreck business, seems to be figured at approx. 5x - 6x the min.