Giant gold coin worth more than £3 million stolen from Berlin museum

  • Berlin

A giant gold coin worth nearly $4.5 million (£3.6m) and weighing 100kg has been stolen from a museum in Berlin.

Police in Germany said thieves broke into the capital's Bode Museum early on Monday morning and stole the 3cm thick "Big Maple Leaf" coin.

The coin was issued by the Royal Canadian Mint in 2007 and features in the Guinness Book of Records for its purity.

Known as the "Big Maple Leaf", the coin has a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on one side and maple leaves on the other.

Police said the burglary happened at around 3.30am when thieves entered through a window and broke into a cabinet where the coin was kept.

The coin was taken from Berlin's Bode Museum. Credit: AP

"What we know so far is that suspects, one or more likely, many, entered the museum from the rear via the nearby local subway passage, by climbing over and breaking into a window," Berlin Police spokesman Winfrid Wenzel said.

"After entering, the suspects went to the coin exhibition where a single item was stolen as far as we know."

A ladder was found by railway tracks close to the museum.

Police believe the thieves may try to melt the coin down rather than sell it on the black market.

The Royal Canadian Mint website says it made the coin "because we can".