Latest news with #antique
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Daily Mail
Moment thief smashes glass cabinet and steals £80,000 candelabra inside historic castle - as he is jailed for almost three years
An antique thief was caught on camera smashing a glass cabinet at a historic castle to steal a £80,000 candelabra in front of sixty school children. Henry Tyson Whilser, 31, travelled 150 miles to Cyfarthfa Castle in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales, to steal the 200-year-old antique treasure. CCTV cameras followed him into the castle before he used a brick to smash the glass display cabinet holding valuable heirlooms. In the brazen act caught on camera, Wilsher entered the castle on April 8 during an event where local primary school children were presenting their projects to judges and guests. He talked to the receptionist before making his way to the Crawshay Room, where he broke into the display cabinet to take the candelabra, which has a value of around £80,000. The candelabra dates back 200 years, when the castle was owned by the Crawshay family. Following the theft, Wilsher fled the castle, escaping in a silver Ford Fiesta that had been stolen on March 24 when a delivery driver left the car running with the keys still in the ignition while making a delivery. On the night of the theft, the car was recorded on dashcam footage from an approaching car as it sped away through the one-way entry system of the castle's car park. South Wales Police then launched an appeal to try and find him, and he was traced 150 miles away after a store owner noticed his distinctive shoes. On April 9, the owner of Sole Mate, a shoe store located in Pontmorlais, Merthyr, contacted officers through a Live Chat service after seeing a media appeal which included an image of the suspect wearing a baseball cap and shoes. The shop owner believed these shoes closely resembled a pair he had sold to a man just days earlier and provided a statement regarding the connection. Wilsher, of Bagworth, Leicestershire was sentenced to 32 months at Teeside Crown Court on Thursday. He pleaded guilty to theft, receiving stolen good and criminal damage. Sergeant Watts of South Wales Police said: 'This was a brazen theft in broad daylight, that left a group of school children shocked and upset. 'Through the work of the investigation team, we were able to identify Tyson Wilsher and bring him to justice, Wilsher's actions show he believed he was above the law and didn't care about how his actions impacted the venue. 'I'm pleased to see the sentence determined by the courts.' Merthyr Tydfil Council leader Brent Carter said: 'It was awful. There were sixty school children here from Cyfarthfa Park Primary. 'They were here enjoying themselves, looking around the museum, and a gentleman came in, picked a house brick out of his pocket, and smashed the casing, tore back the glass and stole the candelabra.' Cyfarthfa Castle was built in 1825 as a castellated mansion home for industry boss William Crawshay II who owned the nearby ironworks and was known as the 'iron king'. It is now a museum and art gallery which is open to the public all year round.
BBC News
5 days ago
- BBC News
Man arrested over theft of £150,000 violin
The Metropolitan Police has made an arrest in its search for an 18th- century violin worth more than £150,000 that was stolen from a north London string instrument, which belonged to a member of London's Philharmonia Orchestra, was taken on the evening of 18 February from The Marquess Tavern on Canonbury Street in Islington.A 43-year-old man was arrested on 25 June on suspicion of theft, the force said. He was taken into custody and later released on bail pending further inquiries. The violin has not been violin's owner David Lopez Ibanez has previously described the instrument, made in Florence in 1740, as his "voice". He told BBC London that the violin, worth more than £150,000, was more of a "companion" than an object."It comes with you everywhere around the world and it allows you to communicate something greater," he said."It becomes your voice, really, so aside of the actual monetary value of it, to me it really was priceless." The violin has a unique feature - a small heart-shaped cut-out on the back of the scroll at the top of the instrument."If people at home have seen a violin of this description in a pawn shop, in a second-hand shop, wherever, antiques, markets, if they have purchased it, please do the right thing and bring it forward," Mr Ibanez said."But if you have seen it, get in touch with the police."The violin has a hole in the shape of a heart in the scroll. That's a very distinctive feature, it doesn't come up often, it's very rare."
The Sun
12-07-2025
- The Sun
Moment brazen thief caught stuffing golden OCTOPUS down her trousers in antiques store leaving owners baffled
WATCH the surprising moment a thief tries to steal a golden octopus from an antique shop - by stuffing it down her trousers. The unique strategy was captured on CCTV footage at Battlesbridge Antiques Centre in Essex. 4 4 4 Perhaps the most shocking part is that the brazen thief managed to get away with it - at least for a few days. Although the theft occurred on July 1, staff only noticed that the oddly-shaped candlestick holder had gone missing this week. After looking back through CCTV footage, the owners discovered video of a man and a woman entering the store, before the woman takes the candles out of the holder and puts the antique down her trousers. At the start of the footage, a man in an orange top can be seen browsing the shelves nearby. He then taps on the octopus candlestick holder, pointing it out to the woman he is with. The pair then continue to stand around idly looking at the shelves in the vicinity. As the man walks over to the rotating display of jewellery, the woman appears to be getting a closer look at the eight-legged object. They try to act casual by appearing to browse other items around the shop. The woman then begins removing the candles from the display. She then starts to stuff the octopus under her trousers - not an easy feat given how large the sculpture is. 'Irish cannot handle spice' - Watch Katie Taylor struggle in hilarious challenge with TWO Hollywood A-listers The curve of its eight-legs seems to be giving her some trouble as she uses her top to hide the rest of it. A glint of gold can still be seen poking out of her jumper which she then attempts to cover behind her bag. Manager Claire Wade told Essex Live that they've only had shoplifters steal from the store a few times, and "it's mainly been young or middle-aged men, not grandparents." She said that the husband had told the woman which item to take and kept a lookout while she completed the tricky manoeuvre. Claire plans to report the incident to the police once they have reviewed all of the CCTV footage on site, as she has rented part of the centre for 15 years. She added: "We were just in shock, it's a great big thing to put down your trousers isn't it?" The item was only worth around £40 and can be bought online, as Claire said: "I don't know why she wanted it." They are using the incident as a warning to customers that they won't tolerate shoplifting. She said: "We want people to know that you can't just turn up at the centre and just help yourself. We're going to do a wall of shame." Commenters on the video were just as shocked by the behaviour as the owner was. One said: "Wow, very desperate and very sad."
ABC News
12-06-2025
- General
- ABC News
Antique collector finds stolen Paterson church bell in scrap metal yard
A 185-year-old church bell has been found a week after thieves used an angle grinder to remove it from its mount. The bell was cut from its supports in a structure outside the former St Ann's Presbyterian Church at Paterson. Police said thieves took it between June 5 and 8. The church opened in 1842, and the bell rang out the day World War I ended. It was deconsecrated in 2009, and there are plans to convert the building into accommodation. The owner of the church, Louise Shirvington, said devastation turned to joy on Thursday when a Hunter antique collector found the bell at a Newcastle scrap metal yard. "I couldn't believe it — the fact someone had gone out on their own to search for it blew me away," she said. Ms Shirvington said the bell had some damage and was missing its iron donger. She said she was told it would have only fetched $300-$400 if sold. "It wasn't worth as much as I guess they thought it was going to be worth," she said. Antique collector Chris Ayoub said he drove around local scrap metal yards where he found the bell. "Ironically, initially I went there to deliver some scrap earlier in the week and whilst I was there I actually purchased another bell," he said. "Being a lover of history, whenever I see old things I'll have to save it and the scrap dealer mentioned he may have had another bell there, a much larger one. "We couldn't get to it but we kind of looked at it and went, 'Ah that could be something interesting.'" He said he returned on Thursday. "I got him to dig it out for us and today I went and had a look and we both came to the conclusion that it was potentially that stolen bell," he said. Mr Ayoub said the scrap metal worker was "shocked". He said the other bell he bought earlier in the week appeared to be a school bell. The Vacy Public School bell, just 8 kilometres away from Paterson, went missing several months ago. But Mr Ayoub said the bell he acquired had a different base to that bell. Paterson Historical Society president Cameron Archer said there was a strong attachment to the bell in the community, which was left grieving when the bell was taken. "It is great news, it is just wonderful news," he said. Mr Archer said the bell was cracked from being rung with "much jubilation" to mark Armistice Day, ending WW1, in 1918. That cracking is how it has been identified. "It just signifies how important that was and what it meant to Australia," he said. After the call went out to find the bell, Mr Archer said everyone rallied to help. "You can't beat people power," he said. The bell will be collected today and travel back to Paterson, where Ms Shirvington said it would be restored.
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Antique firetruck honored on 100th birthday
SHENANDOAH — A fire truck built when Calvin Coolidge was President of the United States was honored Saturday on its 100th birthday at the Schuylkill Historical Fire Society museum. A rare 1925 Ahrens Fox piston pumper led a parade of vintage fire trucks through the borough. 'Ahrens Fox was billed as the Rolls Royce of fire trucks,' said Michael Kitsock, the museum's curator. 'The piston pumper is the most collectable of antique fire trucks.' Marked by a large chrome pressure ball on its front, the piston pumper was popular with metropolitan fire departments because of its ability to supply water to tall buildings. 'The Ahrens Fox had a very unique style,' Kitsock said. 'It was a great pumper.' * Mike Kitsock, fire historian, drives the 100-year-old Ahrens Fox pumper in Shenandoah. (RON DEVLIN/STAFF PHOTO) * A model of 1925 Ahrens Fox pumper in the Schuylkill Historical Fire Company museum, Shenandoah. (RON DEVLIN/STAFF PHOTO) Show Caption 1 of 2 Mike Kitsock, fire historian, drives the 100-year-old Ahrens Fox pumper in Shenandoah. (RON DEVLIN/STAFF PHOTO) Expand Truck's History The Ahrens Fox piston pumper was delivered to the Citizens Hose Company No. 5 of Lock Haven in 1925. It served as a first line pumper for the Lock Haven fire department until 1948, when it was sold to the newly-formed Valley Fire Company, which used it until the early 1960s. Subsequently, it was sold to Brooklyn Hose Company in Lewistown, where it was used as a parts truck for their 1924 Ahrens Fox piston pumper. Abandoned in a field, the old truck was purchased by firefighters from the Rescue Fire Company No. 3 in Shamokin in 1963. During its restoration, Shamokin firefighters traveled to Ahrens Fox in Cincinnati, Ohio, in search of parts. Though Ahrens Fox was out of business, they managed to find parts and return it to running order. It was used in the Shamokin's centennial parade in 1964, and became a fixture in parades throughout the Shamokin area for several decades. Despite their extensive work, the restoration committee was unable to find missing parts for the truck's pump until the1990s, when the pump was restored to working order. In 2023, the 98-year-old truck was donated to the Schuylkill Historical Fire Society. It is on permanent display in the society's museum in the former Columbia Hose and Steam Engine Company No. 1 at 105 S. Jardin St., Shenandoah. Formed in 1999, the society has around 100 antique fire trucks stored in a former warehouse in Mahanoy City. Its collection includes an 1809 Pat Lyons hand pumper, a 1926 Ford Model T fire truck and a 1929 Ahrens Fox pumper once housed at Good Intent Fire Company in Pottsville. Happy 100th Phillip Groody, longtime Ashland Fire Chief, moderated a birthday party for the truck at the fire society museum following the parade. Frank Zangari, Girardville fire chief and president of the Schuylkill County Fire Chief's Association, was the guest speaker at a reception following the parade. Kurt Tadich, fire society president, talked about the significance of the Ahrens Fox. Trustees Ned Beck, Pete Rinaldi and Dave Dawson were presented with awards. The gathered crowd sang 'Happy Birthday' to the old truck before cutting a cake in its honor.
