A 1.1 Billion dollar treasure legend in the making.

[Crow]

Gidday Amigos

While for most of us think of treasure legends we tend to think of treasure legends being in the past dating back to the early 20th century, 19th ,18th century dating all the way back to hundreds of years.

But the reality even today new treasure legends a birthing even now as I type. These treasure legends will evolve through fear political turmoil, disaster, invasion and through the proceeds of criminal activities.

Treasure legends amigos are not static but evolve as events happen that create circumstances to breed such treasure stories. While most treasure yarns will be smaller caches there will be others that will turn out to the huge.

The Following story is an example in the making.

On 25 November 2019, the Green Vault was broken into, and three sets of early 18th century royal jewellery were stolen. Each set consists of 37 items, made up of diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and sapphires. It was estimated that the stolen items were worth up to 1 billion euros (US$1.1 billion).



The Green Vault in Dresden Castle -- from which thieves have stolen around 100 pieces houses one of the largest collections of treasure in Europe, with its spectacular baroque chambers filled with jewels and objets d'art. Although these masterpieces have yet to achieve the renown of the Italian museums, they are comparable with those of Florence or Venice. The Green Vault stands out as the jewel-box of Europe for its exceptional art and architecture, and its representation of one of the world's great cultural citie

In the early 18th century, Augustus the Strong, ruler of Saxony, worked to establish Dresden as a major center for the arts, inviting talented sculptors, goldsmiths and painters to take up residence. He commissioned a series of magnificent rooms to showcase his valuables as a way of advertising the city's cultural prominence in addition to its wealth.


The result was the Green Vault, the first public museum in Europe. It is an astounding collection of ornaments, ranging from shimmering bowls carved out of crystal and agate to jeweled gold figurines to the Dresden Green, the largest and finest green diamond in the world.

During the Allied bombing of 1945, Dresden was decimated, and the vault was destroyed. Though the treasures had been relocated to a fortress, they were later confiscated by the Red Army and taken to Russia. In 1958, the jewels were returned to Dresden, but most of the pieces were not on public display until 2004, after a reconstruction project costing over 45 million euros.


Today, this splendid museum is divided into two parts. In the elegant New Green Vault, individual pieces are shown in modern minimalist cases, with lighting and technology designed precisely to enhance each object.

Downstairs, the Historic Green Vault recreates the grand halls of Augustus, with rooms devoted to specific materials such as ivory and amber, and suites of gems classified by color. These rooms are baroque works of art in themselves, mirrored and painted malachite green with gold trimmings.

The curiosities here include goblets fashioned from gilded ostrich eggs, ivory towers with impossibly tiny spirals and a radiant cabinet of carved amber.


The New Green Vault contains over a thousand of Augustus' best pieces, which were intended to stun visitors and subjects with a show of extravagance and craftsmanship. Among the highlights are drinking vessels engraved with Chinese motifs and jewelry inspired by the royal court of Delhi.

It is fascinating to see how often European ideals of luxury took the form of orientalist fantasies during this period. According to Dr. Larry Silver, professor of art history at the University of Pennsylvania, the Mughal empire had acquired a legendary reputation at this time, becoming a symbol of "power and wealth [that] could only be imagined and envied by European rulers ... a fairytale image of magnificence to be admired and imitated."Augustus' most valued possession was a miniature diorama depicting the unlimited riches of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, Augustus' contemporary on the Indian subcontinent. Aurangzeb, who was referred to as the "world-seizer," is seen at his 50th birthday celebrations during the height of the empire.

From his throne, he receives rajahs and princes; dishes filled with gold coins and elephants draped in gems are presented as gifts. In an unusual twist, the walls of the court are decorated with Chinese dragons, so that a dream of orientalism becomes even more fantastic.

Like the city of Dresden, the Green Vault has been strategically rebuilt, in a style which combines modern and baroque elements. For Hartwig Fischer, director of the Dresden State Art Collections, the construction of the vault has caused people in Saxony to "fundamentally rethink our architectural heritage," more than any building of the last century.

While I could go one about the other treasures that this museum holds , I continue to focus on the crime and treasure stolen.

The Green Vault robbery could rival the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum theft as the most costly of all time.

To be continued.....

Crow

 

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[Crow]

Dresden’s famed Green Vault, one of Europe’s greatest collections of treasure, has been robbed despite security measures said to be like Fort Knox’s. The exquisite collection of jewels and other historic items was raided early this morning, November 25. At least two thieves targeted the most historical part of the historic vaults in the center of the east German city. The value of the missing pieces could be worth millions—or even a billion dollars—according to some reports in German media.


The Green Vault, was ransacked around 5 a.m. According to the German newspaper Bild, the power supply to the building caught fire nearby around the time of the theft, that caused the street lights nearby to go out, as well as a possible power outage at the vaults. (The connection between the two incidents is still being investigated). Two thieves then entered through a small window into the historic museum, taking mostly jewelry and leaving behind heavier objects. The suspects, which according to one report made off in a limousine car, are still at large. First responders were on the scene within five minutes of an emergency call made by the guards.

The robbery was quite simple in fact quite embarrassingly simple.

It has been estimated value of the pieces that have been lost, it could total more than €1 billion ($1.1 billion). If that is the case, it would make it the largest museum heist in history, surpassing the theft of Old Masters from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. At a press conference this afternoon, Marion Ackermann, general director of Dresden’s state art collections, said it was likely impossible to put a value on the stolen items due to their historic cultural value.

Among the stolen items is an 18th-century diamond set once owned by Augustus the Strong, who founded the museum in 1733.

As you can see the haul of diamonds rubies and precious stones was enormous.

A massive missing stolen treasure indeed.

To be continued....

Crow

 

[Crow]

Gidday amigos

The break-ins were old-fashioned in their execution, the loot extravagant in value.


Now investigators in 2020 have concluded that the perpetrators behind two of the most spectacular heists in recent German history probably hail from the same organised crime syndicate.


Arrests made in large-scale raids in Berlin’s Neuk?lln district on Tuesday morning link last year’s historic jewel heist at a Dresden museum to the same “Lebanese mafia” family whose members were sentenced earlier this year over the theft of one of the world’s largest gold coins from a Berlin museum.


In an operation involving 1,638 officers, police searched 18 apartments, garages and vehicles, and arrested three German citizens they suspect of involvement in the break-in at Dresden’s Green Vault Museum in November 2019, when robbers forced their way into the museum and got away with at least three sets of early 18th-century jewellery.


At least one of the prime suspects detained on Tuesday was also involved in the high-profile heist at Berlin’s Bode Museum on 27 March 2017, when thieves used a wheelbarrow and a skateboard to abscond with the “Big Maple Leaf,” a 100kg commemorative coin issued by the Royal Canadian Mint worth some $4.5m.


“I can confirm that one of the suspects has already been sentenced because of the theft at the Bode Museum”, said J?rgen Schmidt, spokesperson for Dresden state prosecutor, in a press conference on Tuesday morning.


The suspect has been named by German media as Wissam Remmo, 23, a member of one of a number of Neuk?lln-based families with Lebanese roots whose reputation for mafia-like organised crime inspired 2017 German TV drama “4 Blocks”.


Remmo was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison over the Bode Museum heist in January but had not yet started his sentence after lodging an appeal.


“There is a link to clan criminality,” said Schmidt, while adding that the term was one used by German media rather than a category relevant to investigators. Local politicians in Berlin complain the term has stigmatised families of whom only a small percentage engages in criminal behaviour.


Saxony police later on Tuesday issued photographs of two further members of the Rammo family, both aged 21, wanted for serious gang robbery and arson.

The thieves fled the scene in an Audi S6, which they then set on fire in an underground car park before driving to Berlin in a second getaway car, a Mercedes disguised as a taxi.


While the method of the break-in was old-fashioned, police say they were able to identify suspects thanks to CCTV cameras and DNA analysis of traces left behind in the burnt-out car.


The whereabouts of the stolen jewels remains unclear. Dresden state prosecutor spokesperson Schmidt said the objective of the “Epaulette” special commission was still to retrieve the stolen artworks, though there are fears the precious stones could have already been recut and sold on the black market.

Just where are precious stones? Eventually 4 will be arrested by not one piece of treasure has been recovered so far.

For would be treasure hunting sleuths there is a 500 thousand euro ( about 584000 USD ) reward for those who can assist in the recovery of the Gems.

So now so recent these events have happened you can see as long as these missing gems are missing they will become a legendary lost treasure. Hidden some where? Broken up and already sold? who knows a real mystery? Some where some place a real big treasure in form of diamonds rubies and sapphires might indeed hidden in the most unexpected of places.

Crow

 

[Crow]

Gidday Amigos

There was a report in the Media in 2021

BERLIN, May 18 (Reuters) - German police on Monday evening detained a man on suspicion of involvement in a 2019 jewel heist at a museum housing one of Europe's greatest collections of treasures, the Dresden public prosecutor's office said.


The 22 year-old man, identified as Abdul Majed R. under reporting rules, is the fifth and final suspect accused of stealing at least three sets of early 18th century jewellery from Dresden's Gruenes Gewoelbe or Green Vault Museum, the prosecutor's office said on Tuesday.


The other four suspects were arrested last year, it said, adding that police were still looking for the stolen items.

Abdul Majed R. was arrested in an apartment in Berlin's southern district of Neukoelln and was taken to Dresden on Monday. Police seized a mobile phone and clothes as part of the search.

here is twin brothers below.

Security camera footage showed two men breaking into the museum through a grilled window in the early hours of Nov. 25, 2019. Officers were on the scene five minutes after the alarm sounded, but the thieves escaped.

The stolen jewels, including diamonds and rubies, were worth up to 1 billion euros ($1.22 billion), Bild newspaper reported at the time, without giving a source.


The collection was brought together in the 18th century by Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony and later King of Poland, who commissioned ever more brilliant jewellery as part of his rivalry with France's King Louis XIV.

But still no sign of any gems recovered?

Crow

 

[Crow]

Gidday amigos.

Justin Huggler gives a deeper insight into the Crime family behind the Greenroom gem heist

“Arab clans” who increasingly dominate organised crime in Berlin.

The arrested men are all members of the Remmo Clan, a single extended family that is one of the most feared in the German capital and has been implicated in a series of spectacular crimes in recent years. Two more family members wanted in connection with the Dresden robbery remain on the run from police.


Among those arrested this week is believed to be Wissam Remmo, who was convicted in February of the theft of a giant solid gold commemorative coin worth €3.75m (?3.3m) that disappeared without trace from one of Berlin’s best guarded museums on a spring night in 2017.

Another member of the family was convicted over a 2014 raid on a savings bank in which he and his accomplices got away with €10m in cash before blowing the bank up on their way out.
The Remmo Clan are just one of the so-called “Arab clans”, extended families of Middle Eastern who control much of the drugs and illegal prostitution trade in Berlin, and defend their various turfs around the city with violence and intimidation.


Alongside the Remmos, there are the al-Zeins, the Abou Chakers, and the Miris, among others. Tourist shops even sell maps showing the city divided into their territories. Clan members are often unemployed and claim benefits, yet they flaunt their wealth, living in villas in Berlin’s most expensive neighbourhoods and driving Porsches and high-performance Mercedes.


When it comes to the clans, It is hard to tell where real life ends and urban legend begins. One popular story tells how the current godfather of the Remmo Clan was stopped by police twenty years ago for driving with a defective tail light. Ten clan members immediately gathered around the car, and police had to call for reinforcements before they could take down his details. “I’ll f*** you in the ass, and your president too,” the godfather is said to have told officers.


Police who investigate the clans are said to take extraordinary precautions, travelling only by public transport and changing train several times to throw off tails. Prosecution cases against clan members have a habit of collapsing as threatened witnesses retract their accounts. The former leader of the al-Zein clan, a man popularly known as “El Presidente”, was found guilty of threatening the Arabic interpreter at the trial of his cousin with the words: “There are people here who want to die.”


The clans present a particular social problem for a country that has seen a huge influx of mostly Syrian asylum-seekers in recent years. The clans are the most visible face of Arab culture for many Berliners, and have done much to turn public feeling against asylum-seekers.


Yet the clan families have nothing to do with the 2015 migrant crisis, and many are not even Arab. They came to Germany in the Seventies to escape the civil war in Lebanon. The Remmos and the al-Zeins are members of an Arabic-speaking Kurdish minority that had previously fled to Lebanon from Turkey.

They and the other clans took advantage of the Cold War division of Berlin to enter the West without paperwork. They flew to communist-controlled East Germany and bought cheap transit visas on arrival. Then they crossed to West Berlin, where authorities did not check their papers because they regarded the city as one. They could not be send back because of the turmoil in Lebanon, and were allowed to settle in Germany.


Ahmad A. Omeirate, an economist who has studied the clans, has argued that Germany is the victim of its own failure to integrate the clan families, and that many turned to crime because they were not given work permits, forcing them to live on benefits.


“The Lebanese were not wanted, it was thought that they would return to their homeland after the end of the war,” Mr Omeirate told Berliner Zeitung newspaper in June. “As we can see today, that didn’t happen. We are reaping the fruits of the politics of the Eighties.”


The result is a parallel society where children are raised in a world of crime. In one case, a child from the Remmo clan is said to have taken live ammunition to school. Police in Berlin have spoken of the difficulty in dealing with families who aren’t afraid of arrest.


“These families completely reject the German rule of law,” Michael Kuhr, a security expert, told BZ newspaper. “Problems are not solved in court, but within the clans. Conflicts are resolved with money without outsiders’ knowledge. And if one of them ends up getting convicted, they’re not bothered. German prisons are considered places of relaxation and part of the CV.”


In one notorious example, a prosecutor tracked down the mother of several clan members and asked her to use her influence to keep her sons out of trouble. Her response: “Jail makes men”.


Yet for all the lurid stories that have made them a staple of the German popular press, for many years the clans were not a priority for the German police. In part, that’s because while they may dominate the Berlin scene, on a national level they don’t actually account for a particularly high proportion of organised crime in Germany.


According to official figures, organised crime cost the German economy €691m in 2018, but the Arab clans only accounted for €17m. Until recently, most of their business has been relatively small-time: street level drug-dealing, pimping for illegal prostitutes, smuggling tobacco for shisha pipes. In a country with a history of kidnapping for ransom, and where former members of the far-Left Baader-Meinhof Gang still carry out regular bank robberies, that kept them off the authorities’ radar for many years.


With family and business connections in several countries it is easy to see how such gems could be filtered out of Germany.

But there is more amigos.

Crow

 

[Crow]

The Remmo family first came to police attention in 1992 with the murder of a restaurant owner in Berlin. Since then, some of the estimated 500 family members have turned the Remmo clan into one of Berlin's most notorious gangs, with a long record of violence, drug trafficking, money laundering and fraud. 


The theft of a hundred-kilo gold coin from the Berlin Bode Museum in 2017 is considered to be the Remmo clan's most spectacular coup. Police believe the gold, worth more than €3 million ($3.6 million), was cut to pieces and melted. Gold particles, as well as glass fragments from the museum, have been found in apartments and vehicles and on the clothes of Remmo family members. Two young men from the Remmo family and one of their associates were sentenced to several years in prison in 2020 in connection with the theft. 


Prosecutors also believe that members of the Remmo clan were involved in the above-mentioned "Green Vault" robbery in Dresden.


The biggest question left unanswered in the Green Vault caper is obvious: What happened to the jewels?


It's unclear whether the Remmos have been talking to police in custody while awaiting a trial date for the Dresden heist. A defense attorney who has represented members of the family did not respond to requests from GQ for comment. Similarly, officials from the Berlin General Public Prosecutor's Office did not answer questions about their investigations—or what they may or may not have learned from the suspects concerning the whereabouts of the stolen treasure.


Initially some art experts and law-enforcement officials had expressed hope that the thieves were holding the jewels for ransom—and that they would reach out to the museum to make a deal. That didn't happen. In January 2020, though, the CGI Group, an Israeli security firm, reported that someone calling themself the Dark Grim Reaper had offered to sell the firm the Dresden White Diamond and the star of the Polish Order of the White Eagle for the surprisingly paltry sum of 9 million euros, payable in Bitcoin. “Please note we will not negotiate,” the alleged seller had written to the Israelis via the dark web. “You wont find us dont bother ”

The CGI Group's chief executive, Zvika Nave, told reporters that the message had arrived after the firm put out feelers on the dark web on behalf of a law practice that he says hired CGI to gather information on the heist. But Dresden officials disputed the legitimacy of the offer CGI had received. (CGI Group did not respond to a request for comment from GQ. A representative for the Dresden State Art Collections says that neither they, nor a third party on their behalf, have commissioned private investigators.)

Arthur Brand, the Dutch private detective, who has tracked down dozens of pieces of stolen art, says con men often read about high-profile art heists and offer fakes on the dark web, hoping to lure in gullible and unscrupulous aficionados. “You can offer anything on the dark web, even if you don't have it,” says the detective.


Brand isn't sanguine about the fate of the stolen jewels. He's worked on similar cases in Western Europe, including the 2002 theft of the Portuguese crown jewels from the Museon museum in The Hague while they were on loan for an exhibition. Dutch investigators failed to recover them after a long search, and the Dutch government ended up paying 6 million euros in restitution to the Portuguese.

It's assumed that the robbers at The Hague dismantled the objects—most of them commissioned by King Jo?o VI after the original collection was destroyed in the great Lisbon earthquake of 1755—and recut and sold off the individual gems. Brand is all but certain the Green Vault thieves did the same thing. “These guys [broke apart] the gold coin, and when I heard the same family [was suspected], I thought, Obviously they didn't steal the pieces because they wanted to sell them as art,” he tells me. German investigators agree. “A drugstore, a jeweler, or the Green Vault are the same for [the Remmos],” one investigator told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.



Brand says the burglars were likely disappointed by the offers they received for their hot rocks, especially if they put their faith in the enormous valuation ascribed to the Green Vault: “These were mostly second-class diamonds,” he maintains. “The Remmos didn't do their homework.” Dirk Syndram, the Green Vault director, asserts that much of the value of the pieces lies in their historical and cultural importance, not in the gems' quality. Most of the stolen stones, he says, “are not white diamonds; they are not clear diamonds. Sometimes they have a reddish tinge, sometimes a slight gray tinge.”


There is one notable exception, however. The 49-carat Dresden White Diamond is celebrated for its purity, color, and provenance. The Golconda mines in India dominated world-class diamond production in the early 18th century, and today the term “Golconda diamond” is used to describe the finest stones from anywhere in the world. “The White Diamond is the most beautiful, whitest you can get,” says Guy Burton, an expert in antique diamonds and the owner of Hancocks Jewellery Gallery in London, a high-end dealer since 1849. “It's a type IIa,” he adds, meaning it's “pure carbon” and not adulterated by nitrogen or other compressed elements.


But even this fabulous jewel couldn't have commanded a huge price. “If they tried to sell it, they'd be arrested in seconds,” Burton says. “Every dealer and auction house in the world would be aware of it.” The only way to dispose of the Dresden White Diamond would be to cut it up into a dozen or so smaller diamonds, which would sharply reduce its value. “You're talking hundreds of thousands of dollars per stone,” Burton says—impressive, but nowhere close to the eight-figure price tag that the burglars might have anticipated from the sale.


Based on his experience investigating dozens of other art crimes, Arthur Brand believes that the burglars would have likely worked with gem cutters and other experts in their network—“people who know how to melt things down, who know about diamonds,” he says—and would have moved swiftly to scrape the stolen goods for parts.
Dirk Syndram had keenly observed the police roundup of the Remmos, but it couldn't compensate for his deep sense of loss.

“It was like when you feel totally fit and healthy and someone tells you that you are in the last stage of cancer,” he tells me in his office in the Residence Palace on a gray Dresden day. “We were absolutely certain that the vault was secured as much as possible. And then the world collapsed.” It was still a raw wound, and the thought of the thieves languishing for a few years in prison couldn't make up for the likelihood that the jewels would never be recovered.

to be continued.....

Crow

 

[sdcfia]

Another great presentation Crow, and very impressive bling pics too. Thanks. Speaking for myself only, this should stimulate the curious dreamer and schemer in me, but I'm noticing that treasure excitement is being tempered by growing ennui lately. I guess it's from observing dystopia moving quickly now from fictional to reality.

 

[releventchair]

I'd be nervous to be in possession of any of the heist's goods. Innocently or not!
Some questioning/interrogation would likely follow delivering an item to help investigators.
Hanging by the thumbs perhaps. Beaten with a thick phone book (they still have those? Perhaps a museum does..) ect..

 

[WG2020]

Crow,

Outstanding series of posts, I really enjoyed reading all of the articles. I for one would be interested in reading more of these types of posts. Good luck with your hunts. Walt

 

[crashbandicoot]

Thanks Crow,outstanding as usual,the historical aspect is really interesting to me.

 

[Crow]

Gidday Amigos

Thanks for the thumbs up. As I said it is a treasure legend in making evolving in our time.

Researching into the illicit Diamond trade.

For Criminals once they have stolen the diamonds, their job is done. The selling and carrying of diamonds is too risky: you have to pass them immediately to a prearranged contact, who will take them across borders to buyers, often in Antwerp but possible other eastern European countries. They know who in advance will buy what and for how much. The Criminals receive around 15% of the value, the courier 5%.


Then there's the fence, the man who disguises the diamond, "legalises" it and resells it back into the market. 30-40% of the diamond's market value.

crooked diamond dealers re-cut the diamonds and create new certificates of origin, stating that each stolen diamond was mined in Sierra Leone recently. The diamond is usually untraceable. The Kimberley Process Certification System was set up in an attempt to stop the blood diamond trade. "In the end it just made it easier for them as they simply forge those certificates of origin and create a 'new' diamond."


The diamonds of very high value will usually make it back into the legal trade "on the hands of brides", but the smaller ones have become the currency of the global black market. "You can have a pocketful of diamonds and buy a boat full of cocaine. Now any cash payment over ?15,000 has to be traced electronically – but who controls diamonds? No one."


So diamonds in essence have become an illicit form of currency.

Crow

 

[crashbandicoot]

I didn,t know that about the illegal diamond trade,very informative and as usual you learn something here every day.What a great place.

 

[KANACKI]

I didn,t know that about the illegal diamond trade,very informative and as usual you learn something here every day.What a great place.

Indeed you do amigo.

Raggedy old Crow is just one of those freaks of nature. A natural born inquisitive creature that can merge between various levels of society with ease. I have no doubt our amigo will get information from people and places few ever get to see. After over 30 years knowing him he can get information off people without even them knowing.

A master......

Kanacki

 

[tintin_treasure]

thanks Crow! Long time...

Quite a yarn that you brought us ! I recall this heist when it happened in 2019.You have given us a very impressive art historical context, that the Dresden museum is a must see. The story is a very sad one...The possible scenarios you put regarding the fate of the jewels are very plausible. Initially I would have suggested the small time auction houses across Europe which are not that strict in asking provenance to sell some valuable works of art(at a comparatively lower price). However the Dresden Jewels are quite well known ("Hot" is the word in the criminal underworld) that investigators can easily trace them, as even these smaller auction houses have internet viewing and some even support online auctions. Hence the crooks may not resort to that route, even though it is a public secret that jewelry of shady origins are frequently being sold off at these smaller auction venues. Hence I would probably put Antwerp as the most plausible destination in the legal market outlet (after performing the dubious modifications on the jewels) and Amsterdam as the second option. The area around the beautiful and artistic central train station of Antwerp is the diamond capital of Europe. But if the black market route is considered ,besides East Europe, Italy (especially the black market of the Napoli area ) and many other southern Europe and Mediterranean destinations could be plausible candidates. If I am the investigator, I would zero in on Antwerp and Napoli. The Italian Carabiniere art squad is proving to be a very competent force when it comes to retrieving stolen arts as seen in their repeated exploits of recent years. Hence it would be advisable if the investigators work with them to check the Napoli front.

Do please continue the saga....

TT

 

[Crow]

thanks Crow! Long time...

Quite a yarn that you brought us ! I recall this heist when it happened in 2019.You have given us a very impressive art historical context, that the Dresden museum is a must see. The story is a very sad one...The possible scenarios you put regarding the fate of the jewels are very plausible. Initially I would have suggested the small time auction houses across Europe which are not that strict in asking provenance to sell some valuable works of art(at a comparatively lower price). However the Dresden Jewels are quite well known ("Hot" is the word in the criminal underworld) that investigators can easily trace them, as even these smaller auction houses have internet viewing and some even support online auctions. Hence the crooks may not resort to that route, even though it is a public secret that jewelry of shady origins are frequently being sold off at these smaller auction venues. Hence I would probably put Antwerp as the most plausible destination in the legal market outlet (after performing the dubious modifications on the jewels) and Amsterdam as the second option. The area around the beautiful and artistic central train station of Antwerp is the diamond capital of Europe. But if the black market route is considered ,besides East Europe, Italy (especially the black market of the Napoli area ) and many other southern Europe and Mediterranean destinations could be plausible candidates. If I am the investigator, I would zero in on Antwerp and Napoli. The Italian Carabiniere art squad is proving to be a very competent force when it comes to retrieving stolen arts as seen in their repeated exploits of recent years. Hence it would be advisable if the investigators work with them to check the Napoli front.

Do please continue the saga....

TT

Some good-points amigo

I suspect an Albanian connection via the twins father?

What amazes me the museum could not get insurance. But how do you put a price on such things. Realistically the value that media put on the crime was way over the top of actual value. Still a large haul by any means.

Crow

 

[tintin_treasure]

Some good-points amigo

I suspect an Albanian connection via the twins father?

What amazes me the museum could not get insurance. But how do you put a price on such things. Realistically the value that media put on the crime was way over the top of actual value. Still a large haul by any means.

Crow

Yes Crow,,as you posted earlier, except the 49-carat White Diamond, the other diamonds are not first grade ones judging by their elemental quality, however as antique and historical artifacts they have an immense value (besides their diamond value)and it is quite difficult to put a price tag on them as they never showed up for sale to have a bench mark. Ideally a rich eccentric movie like character( like Dr No) would have bought all these treasures in the black market as they are and that there is hope of seeing them one day in the future by one means or the other. But sadly on a more realistic note ,the treasures as they have been known in all likelihood have disappeared...

TT

 

[grantler]

@ crow
thank?s for the close up fotos .
You don?t see them over here :-))
grantler

 

[Crow]

Gidday Amigos

As of 4 days ago it has been reported The six men are accused of organized robbery and arson over the spectacular theft of 18th-century jewels from the Green Vault museum in 2019. The value of the jewels was estimated at ?113.8 million ($135 million). German prosecutors said Thursday they charged six men over the 2019 Dresden museum heist.

Notice thew first media hyper value of the gems was 1.1 billion now 135 million dollars? That is exactly how figures in treasure legends get blown out of proportions.

Crow

https://www.dw.com/en/dresden-green-vault-jewel-heist-prosecutors-charge-6-men/a-59061352

 

[tintin_treasure]

Gidday Amigos

As of 4 days ago it has been reported The six men are accused of organized robbery and arson over the spectacular theft of 18th-century jewels from the Green Vault museum in 2019. The value of the jewels was estimated at ?113.8 million ($135 million). German prosecutors said Thursday they charged six men over the 2019 Dresden museum heist.

Notice thew first media hyper value of the gems was 1.1 billion now 135 million dollars? That is exactly how figures in treasure legends get blown out of proportions.

Crow

https://www.dw.com/en/dresden-green-vault-jewel-heist-prosecutors-charge-6-men/a-59061352

Thanks Crow for the news update! As to value of the jewels, you are right the media sometimes inflates such news, however we have also to understand that antique appraisal is a difficult practice and it is also suspect how they came to the 135million estimate. The only way true appraisals can be made is that if one has some kind of benchmark either in auction or private sales ..and these historical jewels never came to the market before .Probably they may have used some similar jewels as comparison and that is quite erroneous as the Dresden treasure is very unique and one of a kind in many respects besides its Historical importance...hence in my humble opinion it would be better if they report it as "estimates hugely vary ranging from 135 million up to 1 billion" to depict the uncertainty.

How much does the Mona lisa cost now? For that we do have a starting benchmark of 450 million of the last Leonardo sale recently and given the fame of the Mona Lisa, experts will add up on that and come up with some estimate and prediction...Basing on the 450 I heard one expert suggest up to 1 billion for another last Leonardo(not Mona Lisa) held in private/museum agreement (long term loan by a certain Duke ). Hence it is really a tricky business to put a figure on such a valuable treasure if there is no information of a recent benchmark. Nevertheless quite an interesting saga...

TT

 

[Crow]

I wonder if the police will pay out the 500 thousand Euro reward for the capture of the fugitives now. That is about 577 thousand dollars US.

Crow