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FRENCH MUSEUM THEFTSJustin Perrault passed along this article about the latest in a string of museum thefts in Europe. Thank you. Sad to learn this. It comes hot on the heels of the Louvre theft, this time for coins. -Editor 
A small museum in northeastern France reported a theft on its premises on Monday, October 20, one day after the astonishing daytime jewels heist at the Louvre. La Maison des Lumières Denis Diderot, housed in the Hôtel du Breuil-de-St-Germain private mansion in Langres, said that a display had been broken into and several gold and silver coins stolen while the institution was closed on Monday per its usual operating schedule. According to a press release issued by the Langres municipal police, museum staff arrived on Tuesday morning to find evidence of forced entry as well as shards of the display case that held the coins scattered across the floor. Investigators believe that the burglary was both targeted and planned, and the museum remains closed to the public until further notice. Devoted to the 18th-century French philosopher, art critic, and writer Denis Diderot, La Maison des Lumières houses a collection of his personal effects and other objects pertaining to his life, work, and writing. Tools like printing hardware and measuring implements are displayed alongside evidence of Diderot's research and his text for the first edition of the Encyclopediè, which he co-edited, as are various portraits and carved busts of the influential Enlightenment-era philosopher. The precious coins taken by the burglars were part of a trove of nearly 2,000 uncovered in 2011, found within the museum's woodwork during a structural renovation of the mansion. Per French law, half of the assortment was awarded to the person who discovered it, while the remainder entered the custody of the town as the property owner — a portion of which was ultimately displayed in a vitrine at the museum.
To read the complete articles, see:
There was a development in the Louvre case Sunday morning. Here's an excerpt from the New York Times. -Editor The police have made arrests in the brazen jewelry heist last week at the Louvre Museum in Paris, French authorities said on Sunday, without saying how many people had been taken into custody. The robbery was carried out by four people. Laure Beccuau, the Paris prosecutor, said in a statement that the arrests were made on Saturday evening and that one man was arrested at the Roissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport as he was trying to leave the country. It was not immediately clear whether the police had recovered any of the stolen jewelry, worth more than $100 million, which included gem-studded royal tiaras, necklaces and earrings.
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This NPR article is the source of the above illustration: "Daily Scene in the Louvre, a 1911 cartoon by Samuel Ehrhart, shows patrons blatantly stealing works from the museum after an inventory at the time found that over 300 canvases were missing." -Editor To read the complete article, see: This isn't the Louvre's first high-profile heist. Here's a history of earlier thefts (https://www.npr.org/2025/10/20/nx-s1-5580221/louvre-museum-robbery-history) Wayne Homren, Editor The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org. To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com To subscribe go to: Subscribe All Rights Reserved. NBS Home Page Contact the NBS webmaster 
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