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German Police Arrest Thieves for Stealing Giant Gold Coin from Berlin Museum | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Media ID: 55378702
Caption:

One of the world’s largest gold coins, a 2007 Canadian ‘Big
Maple Leaf,’ is displayed in Vienna in June 2010. An identical coin
was stolen from Berlin’s Bode Museum on Monday. | REUTERS


Berlin, London- German special police commandos have arrested several people suspected of stealing a giant gold coin from the Bode Museum in the island of museums in Berlin, after three months and a half from the incident.

The authorities announced on Thursday that a police unit have launched an inspection campaign and raided many houses looking for the suspects, But no further details were reported.

In March, burglars entered the Bode Museum and used a ladder to climb through a window. They stole a Canadian 1kg-giant gold coin worth 3.8 million euros, then they carted it in a wheelbarrow. The giant coin is still missing, but, the German authorities expect the burglars to divide it into small pieces that can be easily sold or melted.

The giant coin known as “the Big Maple Leaf” is 3cm thick and has a diameter of 53cm. It features the photo of Queen Elizabeth II, while its other side features the three maple leaves in Canada’s symbol.

Along with sculptures, the Bode Museum also exhibits a collection of huge metal coins.

The coin has a face value of 1 million Canadian dollars ($750,000).

Its gold purity is 99.999%, and was issued by the Royal Canadian Mint in 2007.

The stolen Big Maple Leaf coin is one of only five pure gold commemorative pieces. The four other coins were bought by investors given that gold is a safe investment.