General / Off-Topic People will steal anything...

[Robin of Spiritwood]

Someone managed to pinch/nab/what's-the-right-word-for-this?- a golden toilet from an exhibit. ( Please, if you can get the right word, let us know!)

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-49700620

The potential market must be huge.
But how exactly do you walk around with 400 lbs of gold, and the plumbing tools to disconnect it from the wall fittings without a guard grabbing you?

If they ever make the movie, watching them just plan the heist will be hilarious.

 

[Caramel Clown]

The very fact that they call it an artwork...Maybe it's not such a bad thing it was stolen

 

[GJ51]

Valuable asset

 

[Speedcuffs]

Oof, looks cold on the Arx!

 

[Patrick_68000]

But how exactly do you walk around with 400 lbs of gold, and the plumbing tools to disconnect it from the wall fittings without a guard grabbing you?

The guard must have been in toilet during this time and certainly constipated.

 

[Patrick_68000]

"The gold toilet was famously offered to US President Donald Trump in 2017".

I can understand.

 

[Morbad]

But how exactly do you walk around with 400 lbs of gold, and the plumbing tools to disconnect it from the wall fittings without a guard grabbing you?

Plumbing tools? Given the sort of damage done it doesn't even look like they bothered to turn the water off.

They probably just sledgehammered it loose, cut it into a few pieces and carried it out. If it's made out of what they say it is, no one is going to care about it's artistic value or ask for a ransom, they are going to melt it and sell the metal piecemeal.

They say a 66-year-old man has been arrested...I'd guess a groundskeeper or janitor who knew when it would be easiest to take likely tipped off some buddies in exchange for a cut.

 

[Shir]

So it being connected does it mean people were using it before??

 

[[PS4] Lorenzo Waringos]

The Palace chief, he’s not that bright.

"by this stupid and pointless act,"

The copper is at least a bit brighter:

"The piece of art that has been stolen is a high-value toilet made out of gold”

 

[Patrick_68000]

So it being connected does it mean people were using it before??

Absolutely, as stated in the article.

'Visitors to the exhibition were free to use the palace's throne for its intended purpose, with a three-minute time limit to avoid queues.'

 

[Patrick_68000]

So it being connected does it mean people were using it before??

I suspect that a lot of selfies have been made in this place.

 

[Gibbon]

At least he didn't take the pi**

 

[Deleted member 110222]

Hopefully it gets sold to a scrapper and melted down to be used in useful things like electronics.

 

[Arry]

Another fine example of wealthy complacency. No one would leave 400Lbs of gold bars, unguarded anywhere. Yet turn it into a toilet and its becomes OK to dismiss its value.

I am sorry; but if I had ever been there to see it: I would be thinking about how to walk away with it. £1million in gold, is still £1million, no matter you use it. A couple of adjustable spanners and a sack barrow; is all you need.

 

[Stigbob]

I know the article says it was solid gold, but if I ever met anyone daft enough to own or buy one I'd assume they'd also be daft enough to go for a gold plated fake.

The scrap yard are probably doing the inward whistle and saying "nah mate that's just plated lead I'll give you fifty quid".

 

[Morbad]

Stated value and description don't quite add up. I keep seeing references to 1-1.2 million £, but if the thing were ~400 pounds of solid 18k gold, it would have ~300 pounds of gold content and be worth about six times that.

 

[Manticore]

Hi Doc. Good to see you. It's been a while. How are you?

 

[Speedcuffs]

Stated value and description don't quite add up. I keep seeing references to 1-1.2 million £, but if the thing were ~400 pounds of solid 18k gold, it would have ~300 pounds of gold content and be worth about six times that.

Ah! An intelligent criminal mind.

 

[Robin of Spiritwood]

Stated value and description don't quite add up. I keep seeing references to 1-1.2 million £, but if the thing were ~400 pounds of solid 18k gold, it would have ~300 pounds of gold content and be worth about six times that.

Aha, the 400lbs is just a rough estimate of the mass in my post, made by me. Not intended to be taken literally. How heavy would you estimate the object?

Hi Doc. Good to see you. It's been a while. How are you?

Hi Manticore!

Had an arm injury, lost 20 lbs, and got a title promotion at work, but unfortunately no raise

Been working more in research last few months. Molecular bio stuff.

Can't use the controller to fly anymore, so no play = not a player, so no posting I guess is how it worked out. Recovering slowly though. Found a way to switch Collagen type 3 back to type 1, so regenerating the tendons. I can pull about 100 pounds now, but it hurts.

EDIT: found the word for the crime! "Purloined!" GJ51 would approve.

 

[Morbad]

Aha, the 400lbs is just a rough estimate of the mass in my post, made by me. Not intended to be taken literally. How heavy would you estimate the object?

400 pounds really didn't seem like a bad figure. A standard porcelain toilet bowl, without the tank, weighs about 50 pounds and 18k gold is just about 7-8 times as dense.

Even if we assume it was made of thinner material than a porcelain toilet would (18k gold is not strong, but it's still tougher than the same thickness of porcelain) I don't think there is any way it could be solid 18k gold and only worth ~1.2 million dollars.

I've seen a few valuations up to 6 million USD (or about 330 pounds of 18k gold at current prices), which seem far more credible...unless it's just gold sheet over a core of something else.