$5M Moon Rock Stolen From Malta Museum

$5M Moon Rock Stolen From Malta Museum

$5M Moon Rock Stolen From Malta Museum

POSTED: 10:49 am EDT May 21, 2004

VALLETTA, Malta -- A tiny moon rock believed to be worth about $5
million was stolen from a museum in Malta, 30 years after President
Richard Nixon donated it to the Mediterranean island nation.

The theft from the Museum of Natural History in Mdina was discovered
Tuesday during a routine check, officials said. A protective cover of
plastic had been forced open to take the rock, which was the size of a
raisin.

The rock was picked up in a lunar valley named Taurus-Littrow during
the Apollo 17 mission in 1972, the last of the Apollo moon-landing
missions. It was one of many moon samples given to nations of the
world by the United States.

The exact value of the rock wasn't known but a similarly sized moon
rock in Honduras, from the same Apollo mission, is worth about $5
million. That rock was stolen sometime between 1990 and 1994 and was
recovered in 1998 after a sting operation.

A Maltese flag displayed next to the rock -- which the U.S. astronauts
had taken up with them -- was not taken.

"The problem the thieves have is what to do with it," Joseph Richard
Gutheinz, a retired NASA agent who helped recover the Honduras rock,
wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press. "They can try to sell it
to private collectors or if they're sufficiently dumb, at an auction
house."

There are no surveillance cameras and no custodians at the Museum of
Natural History because of insufficient funding. The only attendant is
the ticket-seller.

http://www.local6.com/news/3331356/detail.html

On or about 21 May 2004 15:58:08 -0700, Rusty B
made the sensational claim that:
VALLETTA, Malta -- A tiny moon rock believed to be worth about $5
million was stolen from a museum in Malta, 30 years after President
Richard Nixon donated it to the Mediterranean island nation.

Where in the world did they get the "$5 million" figure from?
--
This is a siggy | To E-mail, do note | Just because something
It's properly formatted | who you mean to reply-to | is possible, doesn't
No person, none, care | and it will reach me | mean it can happen

How would a thief prove to a prospective buyer that the rock he has is a
genuine moon rock? Maybe this rock will be mentioned in spam email.

On Sat, 22 May 2004 04:51:20 GMT, "Mike Rhino"
wrote:

How would a thief prove to a prospective buyer that the rock he has is a
genuine moon rock? Maybe this rock will be mentioned in spam email.


What do thieves do with famous stolen paintings? Sometimes a painting
ends up in some millionaires private art collection and reappears
years later, after the collectors death.

Dennis Tito and Mark Shuttleworth each paid $ 20-million dollars for a
ride into space. Is it possible some other millionaire space buff
would like a moon rock for his personal collection?

- Rusty Barton

LooseChanj wrote in message news:
Where in the world did they get the "$5 million" figure from?

$5 million was the asking price by a Miami businessman whose Honduran
moon rock was allegedly smuggled into the U.S. and was subsequently
confiscated when he tried to sell it to undercover agents:

http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-062902a.html

--
Robert Pearlman, Editor
collectSPACE - The Source for Space History & Artifacts
http://www.collectspace.com/

Rusty B wrote:
$5M Moon Rock Stolen From Malta Museum

$5M Moon Rock Stolen From Malta Museum


Stand ready for the sequel "The Maltese Moonrock", featuring a CGI
Humphrey Bogart reviving his famous role as Sam Spade, hunting down what
seems to be a worthless moonrock turning out to be some precious jewel
after scratiching off all that dirt.

Harald

Harald Kucharek wrote:



Stand ready for the sequel "The Maltese Moonrock", featuring a CGI
Humphrey Bogart reviving his famous role as Sam Spade, hunting down
what seems to be a worthless moonrock turning out to be some precious
jewel after scratiching off all that dirt.


Well, it appears that in this particular case I beat you to it sir; but
I admire a man who thinks the way I do- posting to a newsgroup is like
drinking; both must be done.....judiciously.....lest one falls down on
one's posterior while vomiting on oneself...heh-heh!

The Fatman

On or about Sat, 22 May 2004 09:47:16 +0200, Harald Kucharek
made the sensational claim that:
Stand ready for the sequel "The Maltese Moonrock", featuring a CGI
Humphrey Bogart reviving his famous role as Sam Spade, hunting down what
seems to be a worthless moonrock turning out to be some precious jewel
after scratiching off all that dirt.

CGI is all good and well, but who's going to do the voice?
--
This is a siggy | To E-mail, do note | Just because something
It's properly formatted | who you mean to reply-to | is possible, doesn't
No person, none, care | and it will reach me | mean it can happen

Pat Flannery wrote:


Harald Kucharek wrote:



Stand ready for the sequel "The Maltese Moonrock", featuring a CGI
Humphrey Bogart reviving his famous role as Sam Spade, hunting down
what seems to be a worthless moonrock turning out to be some precious
jewel after scratiching off all that dirt.



Well, it appears that in this particular case I beat you to it sir; but
I admire a man who thinks the way I do- posting to a newsgroup is like
drinking; both must be done.....judiciously.....lest one falls down on
one's posterior while vomiting on oneself...heh-heh!

The Fatman

Oops, didn't saw your prior-art post. But I have to admit: I thought
that I was commiting a flannery when I posted my few words. Surely was
harder work for me than for you to make such a flic.

Harald

Mike Rhino wrote:

How would a thief prove to a prospective buyer that the rock he has is a
genuine moon rock? Maybe this rock will be mentioned in spam email.



DEAR SIR,

This letter might come as a surprise to you especially since we have
never met or discuss before. Basically, the message might sound strange
but it is factual in reality if only you care to know.

The truth is that I should have notified you first through a more
confidential means, (even if it's at least to respect your integrity)
please accept my humble apologies if i had caught you unawares, i
frankly do not mean any harm in passing my goodwill message.

We are members of the Special Committee for Budget and Planning of the
Ministry of Lunar Resources. This committee is principally concerned
with contract appraisal and the approval of contract in order of
priorities as regards capital projects of the federal excutive
government of Nigeria with our positions we have successfully secured
for ourselves a Moon Rock valued at sum of five million dollars (US
$516.32) the amount was accumulated from the over invoice.

Hence, together with some of the top officials of the Nigerian National
Helium-3 Corporation and the Federal Ministry of Green Cheese. We plan
to transfer this amount into an overseas account by awarding a non
existing contract from my ministry. To this effect i decided to contact
you and ask for your assistance.

What we need from you sir, is to provide a very vital account in which
the funds will be transferred. My colleagues and I have agreed never to
compensate the owner of the account used for this transaction with 30%
of the total amount remitted, minus 45% of the remaining balance less
taxes not paid. We shall keep both 60% and 70% remaining 10% reserved
for taxes and other miscellaneous expenses not used. 50% of the total is
overhead and will not be spent. 8% is replenished upon payment.

It may interest you to know that last two years a similar transaction
was carried with one mr. D** G*****, the president of Vandalay
International Trading Corporation at number 30102 E. RI School of Design
St.,Ukipah New York 10022 with telephone number (976) 555-7734 and telex
number 0u812. After the agreement between both partners in which he was
to take 20% of the money while the remaining 80% for us. With all the
required documents signed the money was duly transferred into his
account only to be dissappointed on our arrival in New York and we were
reliably informed that mr. D** G***** was no longer on that address
while his telephone and telex numbers have been re-allocated to somebody
else. That is how we lost us$10m to mr D** G*****.

Finally, the confidence and trust reposed on you cannot be over
emphasised. Therefore, you are to keep this deal to yourself
confidentially. Calibre of personnels involved are men in government.So
cannot effort to loose our respective reputation to our dear country if
jeopardise by you.

Contact me urgently through the above e-mail no with your detail
information.If not humbly discard t and still maintain ts confidentiality.
YOURS FAITHFULLY,
J. R. "Jahr" Dahhbs
CHAIRMAN CONTACT AWARD & MONITORING COMMITTEE.

NB: THE URGENCY OF THE ABOVE AND THE INEFFICIENCY OF OUR LOCAL POSTAL
AGENCY MADE ME TO SEND YOU THIS EMAIL.


--
It Came From C. L. Smith's Unclaimed Mysteries.
http://www.unclaimedmysteries.net