Chinese Antiquities Stolen from British Museum

Nov. 1, 2004
Staff did not know theft had happened until next day when guard noticed items were missing

News reports from Reuters have said that the British Museum, a London-based host of national treasures and ancient artifacts like the Rosetta Stone, fell victim to a theft on Friday of pieces taken from a collection of Chinese jewelry.

The items, considered rare, were apparently stolen from a glass case on Friday, but were not noticed as missing until Saturday when a security guard recognized the loss.

The museum spokeswoman said that the museum lost 15 items which dated from 700 to 1400 A.D.