"Cambridge Ripper" Arrested For Plundering Valuable Books

A former Cambridge University student has been arrested after selectively gutting horticultural volumes worth £50,000 ($100,000US) from the Royal Horticultural Society's London library.

William Jacques, 40, who has no fixed address, will appear in custody at City of Westminster Magistrates' Court. He was arrested on Christmas Day in Selby, North Yorkshire, after more than two years on the run.

The former Cambridge University student is alleged to have stolen 13 volumes from the Royal Horticultural Society's London library. Scotland Yard said he disappeared after being released on bail by police in April 2007.

Jacques was accused of stealing Nouvelle Iconographies des Camellias by Ambroise Verschaffelt.

The volumes contained an array of colored plates of camellias by the 19th century Belgian author and explanatory text. It is alleged Jacques stole them by signing in to the library under the false name of "Mr Santoro" and then hiding them under his jacket.

Video of Antique Thieves In Action, Do You Know Them?

Police in Boston released surveillance video of two men they say are responsible for a break-in at a South Boston condo building over the Memorial Day weekend - and helping themselves to jewelry, antiques, and artwork.

The victims said they had been away for the weekend. No signs of forced entry were detected. A $1,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the recovery of the stolen items.

If you know these guys, it may be time to "drop a dime" to the police.

"Jobless, Illiterate Irishman" Loots English Castles

A man described in the British press as a "jobless, illiterate Irishman" has been arrested in Britain for a series of robberies at stately manor homes and national landmarks.

Andrew Shannon, 44, of Dublin is accused of travelling to England for a "weekend crime spree" with an accomplice, the two men using GPS locators and wireless communications devices to locate target homes and to communicated with each other during their robberies - almost always conducted while the homes were open for public enjoyment.

Apparently Mr. Shannon considered six homes, including Blenheim Palace, a "soft target," walking away with porcelain, paintings, silver and a walking stick from Belvoir Castle.

He was found out when he was approached by a security man who saw two oil paintings stuffed into Shannon's laptop case.

Police found out that Shannon had pilfered items from Castle Howard, Blenheim, Belvoir and other landmark homes, customarily open to the public to display their historic contents.

Shannon was sentenced to three years "in the nick."

Of Cons and Coins

If you get into this game you are reminded every so often that many people covet what you have, and some are willing to try and take what they want.

It’s the not-so-gentile side of antique collecting. We don’t talk about it much, but it’s there. There are a lot of unsavory types in the world, particularly in these tough financial times, who are looking for “soft” targets.

Antique dealers are considered “soft targets.”

That’s why a colleague here in Northern California left his home one day to find a man waiting for him outside. There was an altercation, a stun gun was produced (not by our colleague) and the man was pushed back into his apartment, bound with duct tape and forced to stand by while this miscreant pillaged the dealer’s coin collection.

This appears to be happening more and more frequently as dealers advertise to meet buyers are lured to remote locations and are robbed, usually of money (why doesn’t that hurt as much as when they take our antiques?).

So, we’re getting cautious and taking steps to protect ourselves, our homes looking like armed camps even though we don’t keep anything of any real value there. I have a small safe in my place. I like it for its California feel and keep my scotch in it, and that’s all.

Many of us are loners, single men or women who like old things and perhaps don’t relate well to the modern world. It can be a problem.

We buy the cameras and the safes and all the rest, and try not to think about what can go wrong – until it does. Until then we share our love for old things with others we hope are likeminded.

It’s all we can do.