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Stolen


Keats' love letters

Keats’ love letters returned to family after theft now come to auction

12 May 2026

A rare group of eight autograph letters by John Keats (1795-1821) to his fiancée Fanny Brawne that had been stolen in 1989 but later recovered are now heading to Sotheby's.

1812 Imperial Almanac

Stolen books and letters valued at more than $3m recovered after 35 years thanks to book dealers

24 April 2026

A group of rare books and a bound collection of 37 love letters written by the Romantic poet John Keats to his fiancée Fanny Brawne have been recovered and returned to the family.

Coalbrookdale benches

Plea to find Coalbrookdale benches and sundial stolen in Herefordshire

01 April 2026

The owner of a group of four antique Coalbrookdale benches and a decorative armillary sundial has made a plea to the antiques trade to look out for her stolen garden items.

Chalice

Police appeal after antique silverware stolen from Hertfordshire church

17 March 2026

A large amount of silver objects were taken from a village church in Hertfordshire including two chalices, a silver communion flagon, a silver plate and a box of other silver objects.

PC Webb with antiques dealer Paul Gostelow

Lovejoy episode helps reunite stolen Napoleon altar plaques missing for 12 years

25 February 2026

A 30-year-old episode of the BBC show Lovejoy helped an antiques dealer return two stolen Napoleon Bonaparte III altar plaques that had been taken in 2014 to their former home.

Panel

Stolen 17th century panel returned to church after 30 years

11 February 2026

A 17th century panel stolen from a church in Hertfordshire has been discovered and returned after being missing for 30 years.

Antique lace

Plea to recover antique lace stolen from Portobello Road Market

23 December 2025

Veteran Portobello Road Market dealer Anne Swift and her son Phil were the victims of a theft from their market stall.

img_4-2.jpg

Trade alert after masked men steal Guild of Handicraft jewellery

19 December 2025

Police are appealing for information after many identifiable pieces of antique jewellery were stolen during a robbery in the Cotswolds.

Wainscot chair

Plea to track down 18th century 'bishops' chair stolen from Lancashire church

04 December 2025

A chair dated to 1703 has been stolen from St Marys the Virgin Church in Gisburn, Lancashire.

Chair

Church pleas for return of rare Mackintosh-style chair stolen in West Hampstead

26 November 2025

A church in north-west London is appealing for help to recover a stolen chair.

South Yorkshire Police

Yorkshire police appeal for information following theft from antiques centre

04 November 2025

Two thieves broke into an antiques centre in South Yorkshire stealing items and causing thousands of pounds of damage.

Crown

Details of stolen Louvre jewels revealed

22 October 2025

A manhunt continues for the four suspects who broke into the Louvre in Paris and stole eight jewels valued at in excess of €88m (£76m).

delftware shoes

Stolen 17th century delftware shoes reunited with owner

21 October 2025

A pair of late 17th century delftware shoes that were stolen six year ago have been reunited with their owner thanks to the actions of a Wiltshire auctioneer.

Louvre

Paris’ Louvre remains closed after daylight robbery

20 October 2025

An audacious robbery of valuable jewellery from the Louvre at the weekend has forced the museum to remain closed for investigation.

Qianlong soup plate

Alerts issued after spate of thefts across the UK

22 September 2025

A number of thefts of art and antiques have been reported in the past week.

Qianlong famille-rose circular soup plate

Plea to recover 18th century Chinese plate stolen from National Trust house

19 September 2025

The National Trust has issued an alert following the theft of an 18th century Chinese plate from a property in north Wales.

Silver sculpture

Appeal for help to recover silver stolen from Sloane Street Auctions

18 September 2025

Auction house seeks information following the theft of a silver sculpture

Pocket watch

Information sought to help recover pocket watches stolen from museum in Exeter

16 September 2025

Detectives are appealing for information and witnesses after a burglary at a museum in Exeter.

Sundial

Police appeal after sundial stolen from New Forest country estate

15 September 2025

Hampshire police are appealing for information on an antique sundial stolen from The Somerley Estate in the New Forest.

Mexican document

FBI returns historic conquistador manuscript to Mexico

27 August 2025

A manuscript linked to a Spanish conquistador and believed stolen in the 1980s has been given to the Mexican government.