Vancouver
It was bad enough when thieves struck the University of British Columbia's Museum of Anthropology last month and stole some of its most prized pieces, created by native sculptor Bill Reid. But then a terrible thought occurred to museum officials - what if the thieves did not realise the true value of their haul and intended to simply melt down the gold artworks?
Initially museum workers declined to give a value for the pieces. But two days after the discovery of the theft, curators revealed that Reid's gold brooches, cufflinks and an intricate box, were worth C$2 million (HK$15.7 million). Melted down, the gold would fetch only about C$15,000.
Better that the artworks be fenced to a buyer than destroyed.
'That will be a disaster if those pieces are melted down,' said Moya Waters, the museum's associate director. 'They're much more valuable as works of art.'
The museum offered a C$50,000 reward for the return of the items, and another three pieces of Mexican gold jewellery that were stolen at the same time.
By the time of his death in 1998, Reid was considered a national treasure. The son of a native Haida mother and a Scottish-German father, Reid did not know of his native ancestry until he was in his teens. He began his career as an artist in the 1960s and is credited with helping revive interest in west coast native art at a time when it was in danger of disappearing.