Australia Lithgow Museum Break-in $200K of Collectible, Antique Pistols Stolen

 On Sunday, August 25, 2024, thieves broke into the Lithgow Small Arms Factory Museum, in Lithgown, Australia. They broke into display cases and stole 27 antique and collectable firearms.  The police have recovered 13 of the 27 firearms which were stolen. Youtube video of Lithgow Museum breakin in Australia.

From Police.nsw.gov.au/news:

Drug and Firearms Squad detectives with assistance from Chifley and
South Coast Police Districts have charged three men for their roles in
the alleged theft of 27 guns during a break and enter of a Lithgow
Museum last week.

Police were called to the Lithgow Small Arms Factory Museum on
Methven Street, Lithgow, about 3.30am on Sunday 25 August 2024,
following reports of a break and enter.

Officers attached to Chifley Police District arrived and were told
three people broke into the museum and stole a number of high-value
firearms before leaving in a silver Toyota Landcruiser.

(snip)

Detectives were told the handguns – which are worth more than $200,000 – could be made operational.

The Lithgow museum is the premier firearms museum in Australia. This correspondent spent a day and a half their five years ago. The staff was wonderful. The museum extremely well done, one of the best of its kind in the world. Here is a video tour of Lithgow Museum in Australia. Unfortunately, it shows only a few highlights. The Ron Hays room is show starting at 38:00 minutes.

I took a couple hundred pictures while I was at the museum. From my photos, it appears the theft took place in the Ron Hayes Room.

If you watch carefully, the semi-circular display of Lee-Enfield rifles is briefly seen in the surveillance video, in the upper right hand corner of the image.

This correspondent took pictures which show the two display cases which were broken into.

Left of the entryway, the vertical case closest to the wall was broken into. There are several single shot pistol shown in it, including the 1875 J. Stevens break-open target pistol. It is on the far left, second glass shelf from the floor. The Remington XP-100 is on the left , top shelf.

 

To the right of the entryway, the vertical case closest to the entryway was broken into. There are several revolvers and semi-auto pistols shown in it. A Colt Python appears to be on the far left, second glass shelf from the bottom.

An Australian dollar is currently worth about 2/3 of a U.S. dollar. The 27 firearms were valued at about 134,000 U.S. dollars. Most of them are antiques, or rare, such as a Remington XP-100 in (as I recall) an unusual caliber, or a J. Stevens single shot break-open target pistol in .22 rimfire, made in 1875. These guns are worth a lot to collectors, but have little value as a fenced stolen gun. They generally have parts removed to render them non-functional. While parts can be made and replaced, the time and effort might be considerable.  Functional factory pistols, I was told, fetch about $3,000 to $5,000 on the Australian black market. My source claimed to have participated. He was very convincing.

This was a nasty smash and grab job. The thieves used a stolen car, which they then burned. They moved quickly, because of alarms at the museum. While there are many millions of dollars of rare and collectable firearms at the museum, they only took 27 more or less mid range handguns.

Some of the guns at the museum, in the Ron Hayes room, are likely worth close to a million Australian dollars. Truly rare and collectable guns would be very difficult to fence, much like trying to fence a Rembrandt painting.

The thieves wore masks and gloves. They used a stolen vehicle which they then burned. In my experience, the thieves were probably burned (ratted out, informed on) by associates or "friends" because they talked too much, and the goods they had stolen were too famous.

It is unfortunate, but plausible, the anti-freedom forces in Australia will use this break-in to tighten the already extreme regulation of Australian arms museums.

If you visit Australia, this correspondent highly recommends you visit the Lithgow Small Arms Factory Museum if you can. The staff is marvelous, the exhibits wonderful, the history, fascinating. It is treasure of Western civilization.

 

©2024 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

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