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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;krispy, post: 977015, member: 19065&quot;]Perhaps these guys who stole the gold bar from the Mel Fisher museum were inspired by this heist:</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><img src="http://www.cointalk.com/users/19065-albums492-84770.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>In 2007, a small group of thieves overpowered the minimal staff on premises at the <a href="http://www.goldipedia.gold.org/news/2007/03/19/story/6257/japanese_museum_gold_heist_shocks_police/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.goldipedia.gold.org/news/2007/03/19/story/6257/japanese_museum_gold_heist_shocks_police/" rel="nofollow">Takayama&nbsp; Museum</a> in central Japan. This gold was on display in the&nbsp; container pictured above, which allowed&nbsp; visitors to touch the bullion. There were no sensors or burglar alarms because it was an interactive display. The thieves were captured on video surveillance removing the gold and leaving the building but there were no other security measures in place to prevent them from literally dragging this 100 kilogram (220 lbs.) block of gold off the pedestal, out of the museum and into their get-away car.<a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6464389.stm" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6464389.stm" rel="nofollow"> BBC link</a></p><p><br /></p><p>The get-away car was discovered some days after the theft and a small amount of this gold&nbsp; <u>was</u> recovered as they were trying to reduce and disguise the gold into&nbsp; smaller amounts. At least one of the guys was caught but I haven&#039;t followed the news on the rest of the story. </p><p><br /></p><p>Incidentally, the brick was originally shaped/poured&nbsp; by the Mitsubishi Corporation in Japan and acquired by the museum in 1994.</p><p style="text-align: left"><span style="color: #000000"><br /></span></p> <p style="text-align: left"><span style="color: #000000"><br /></span></p> <p style="text-align: left"><span style="color: #000000"><br /></span></p><p>It seems to be the most typical procedure of bullion thieves to destroy/hide the stolen metal by recasting it into other forms then distributing it as far and wide as they can to make it disappear into the global gold supply. The same was thought to have occurred with most of the bullion taken in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brinks_Mat_robbery" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brinks_Mat_robbery" rel="nofollow">Brinks Mat robbery</a> at Heathrow Airport in England, 1983. Very little was ever recovered from that heist.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Now, if I were the Director of the <a href="http://thedailybubbletea.com/2009/02/16/jinguashi-the-gold-ecological-park/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://thedailybubbletea.com/2009/02/16/jinguashi-the-gold-ecological-park/" rel="nofollow">Jinguashi Gold Ecological Park Museum</a> in Taiwan I would be doing everything I could to secure this giant 220 kg gold brick which allows it&#039;s visitors to &quot;interact&quot; with their bullion:</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3520/3283849899_07d2f6b90f.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p><img src="http://www.cointalk.com/users/19065-albums492-84780.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p><img src="http://www.cointalk.com/users/19065-albums492-84782.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p><img src="http://www.cointalk.com/users/19065-albums492-84763.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Lastly, there is yet another monster block of gold lurking out there... I&#039;m just not sure where or if this one is kept on public display like those mentioned above:</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="http://www.cointalk.com/users/19065-albums492-84764.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>A 551.15 lbs. gold brick made by the Mitsubishi Corporation in Japan.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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