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. His jewellery is now much copied but few can match Reid's renderings of sacred west coast animals, such as bears, eagles, wolves and frogs. 'It just made me sick when I heard about this,' University of Victoria art historian Kerry Mason said: 'It's like Edvard Munch's Scream being stolen. That's the equivalent of the importance of this art work in Canada.' Professor Mason said she believes the thieves may have been commissioned to steal the works by an unscrupulous collector. Interpol is circulating photographs of the pieces to nearly 200 member countries and Canadian police are asking pawnshop owners to watch for the items. That covers scenarios of high-end thieves squirrelling the works out of the country or common crooks hoping to make a quick buck. Museum staff and fans hope the artist's works are so well known that pawning them off will be impossible. Reid's sculpture The Spirit of Haida Gwaii has a prominent spot at the Canadian embassy in Washington. It's also a familiar work to Hong Kong Canadians as a version of it is also on display at the international departures section of Vancouver International Airport. Canada's US$20 bill portrays Reid's work on one side. The museum's curator, Anthony Shelton, thinks the heist may have been an inside job. Dr Shelton told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that the thieves wore gas masks and sprayed the museum with bear repellent (a potent form of pepper spray) to disable anyone who walked in on them. No one did. He said surveillance cameras mysteriously stopped recording four hours before the theft and the lone security guard in the museum was taking a cigarette break during the theft. Police have questioned staff, but no arrests have been made. Tomorrow: New York
