10 Most Expensive Things That Were Stolen From Museums

Sometimes when you hit the very bottom of your bank account, you start grasping at straws to make some more money. Some people prefer to work hard, others – smart. Too bad smart doesn’t always mean legal. And what could be easier than robbing a museum? Well, honestly, a lot of things, but that’s not the point, people have made their choice and today we’re gonna see how far the human greed can get you.

Here are 10 most expensive things ever stolen from museums!

1. The Mona Lisa
You all know how famous Leonardo Da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” is today, but just around a hundred years ago nobody cared about it. Until 1911, when someone outright stole the painting from the Louvre. A mere 2 years later, Mona was one of the most recognizable paintings in the world.

2. Gibson Stradivarius
Gibson Stradivarius is probably the most famous instruments on the planet. Made by Stradivarius himself in 1713, this mini-guitar has been snatched not once but twice, actually! In 1919 and 1936. Current estimated value of this brilliant instrument is $15 million, so you can’t blame the thieves for trying.

3. Third Imperial Fabergé Egg
Of the 50 unique jewelry eggs that were crafted for the Russian royal family in 1885, only one survived. I mean, the rest were either destroyed or stolen, which is way more probable. The last egg was found in a scrapyard in America. In 2012 some rich dude auctioned it off for $33 million.

4. Van Gogh’s Poppy Flowers
Sadly, Van Gogh didn’t live long enough to see his best work, “Poppy Flowers”, get stolen. Actually, I think he’d have a heart attack if he saw the price tag on that painting ($55 million). Unfortunately, the painting was stolen in 1977 from the Mohamed Mahmoud Khalil Museum in Cairo. It took 10 years to find it! That’s not all, in 2010 it was stolen again, and is still MIA.