Big Maple Leaf: Thieves steal coin worth $4.5 million in heist at Bode Museum in Germany

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Monday, March 27, 2017
The Bode Museum at the Museum Island in Berlin, on Saturday, March 23, 2013.
The Bode Museum at the Museum Island in Berlin, on Saturday, March 23, 2013.
AP Photo/Markus Schreiber-AP

BERLIN -- Berlin police say thieves broke into the German capital's Bode Museum and made off with a massive 221-pound gold coin worth millions.



Spokesman Stefen Petersen said thieves apparently entered through a window about 3:30 a.m. Monday, broke into a cabinet where the "Big Maple Leaf" coin was kept, and escaped with it before police arrived.



A ladder was found by nearby railway tracks.



The 1.18-inch thick coin, with a diameter of 20.9 inches, has a face value of $1 million. By weight alone, however, it would be worth almost $4.5 million at market prices.



The museum says the coin is in the Guinness Book of Records for its purity of 999.99/1000 gold. It has a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on one side and maple leaves on the other.

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