The Jetpacker

Well, this didn’t seem like a smart idea from the get go.  A museum in Florida that lets visitors hold a gold bar has it stolen.

The 16.5-karat gold bar was recovered from a shipwreck off the coast of Florida by a treasure hunter in 1980.  And ever since it was discovered, the bar has been kept in a special display case in the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum where visitors could reach inside and handle it.

Turns out the case wasn’t very secure.

When the gallery was empty last Wednesday, two thieves easily removed the gold bar from the case without anyone noticing.  (Was the guard on lunch break or something!?)

Police are looking at security tapes to identify the thieves, but so far, no luck.

The museum’s owners say that if the thieves stole the gold bar to sell it at its $550,000 value, they’ll have a tough time because anyone who buys it will know where it came from and won’t be able to display it.

So if you’re perusing eBay and you see the gold bar listed for sale, report it to the museum’s insurance company.  They’ll give you a $10,000 reward.