Gold Samples Valued at €600,000 Stolen from Paris Natural History Museum

Major Heist at French Natural History Museum

Precious native gold samples, estimated to be worth €600,000 based on their raw gold value, were stolen in a sophisticated raid on the French Natural History Museum (Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle) in Paris. The theft, which occurred in the early hours of Tuesday, September 17, 2025, saw intruders bypass security to target the museum's geology and mineralogy gallery.

The museum, located in the 5th district of Paris within the historic Jardin des Plantes, confirmed the loss of 'several specimens of native gold from the national collections'. While the monetary value is substantial, the museum emphasized the 'immeasurable heritage value' and 'inestimable loss for research, heritage and for a collection accessible to the public' that these unique specimens represent.

Professional Operation and Security Concerns

Investigators believe the thieves employed industrial tools, including an angle grinder and a blowtorch, to force their way into the riverside complex and breach reinforced display cases. The director of the museum, Emmanuel Skoulios, told BFMTV that 'We are dealing with an extremely professional team, perfectly aware of where they needed to go, and with professional equipment. It is absolutely not by chance that they went for these specific items.'

Adding to the concerns, an anonymous police source informed the Parisien daily that the museum's alarm and surveillance systems had reportedly been rendered inoperable by a cyberattack in July. This suggests the perpetrators may have been aware of the security vulnerability. The mineralogy gallery was closed following the incident as the museum conducted an examination of its collections for any further losses.

Part of a Troubling Trend

This incident is not isolated, forming part of a 'worrying series of robberies' targeting cultural institutions across France in recent months. Other notable thefts include:

• Earlier this month, the Adrien-Dubouché National Museum in Limoges was targeted, with thieves stealing three 'national treasures' – two 14th- and 15th-century Chinese porcelain plates and an 18th-century Chinese porcelain vase – valued at €6.5 million.
• Last November, the Cognacq-Jay museum in Paris suffered a daylight raid where several 18th-century works were stolen.
• The day after the Cognacq-Jay theft, jewelry valued at several million euros was stolen in an armed robbery at the Hiéron Museum in Saône-et-Loire.

The ongoing investigation into the theft at the French Natural History Museum aims to recover the stolen gold samples and apprehend those responsible for this significant loss to national heritage and scientific research.