Burglars steal rare ceramics worth £7,000 at Bridgnorth antiques centre
Valuable and rare ceramics worth about £7,000 have been snatched from an antiques centre in Shropshire.
Police are investigating after the raid on The Old Mill Antiques Centre in Bridgnorth earlier this week.
Only one of the businesses based there was targeted – Simon Willcock Antiques on the second floor of the building.
Speaking today, Mr Willcock said both he and John Ridgeway, the manager and owner of the Old Mill, would be reviewing CCTV footage to see if they could find any images of the thieves.
"We believe the cabinet, on the second floor of the antiques centre, was targeted," he said. "It looks like they knew exactly what they wanted and they took it.
"I believe the lock was picked on Monday or Tuesday. As it stands I can confirm eight rare pieces, valued at £5,550, have been stolen. A further three pieces were also taken valued at £1,415, meaning a total loss to me of £6,965. I believe these items will be offered to the trade, be it at antiques fairs, auction houses, online or other antiques centres."
Mr Willcock has put images of the missing items on his eBay sale site and also distributed them to the police and media in the hope of tracking them down.
He said the most recognisable pieces to the public or trade would be a William Moorcroft pomegranate vase dating back more than a century; a £795 Nymphenburg Pointer dog carrying kill from around 1910 and a Royal Worcester polo player from 1936 valued at £895.
The owner said a Rosenthal Boy on Toucan, worth £595, and a large Royal Doulton wall mask valued at £625 has also been taken.
A spokesman for West Mercia Police confirmed the force was investigating the incident.
Anyone with information is urged to call officers on the non-emergency 101 number, or alternatively call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
