IN PICTURES: £100k worth of ornaments stolen from Staffordshire home
Ornaments worth up to £100,000 were stolen when burglars raided a house in an affluent area of Staffordshire.
The high-value items were taken in a burglary in Little Aston near Lichfield and are considered to be highly desirable among collectors.
Police are now appealing for information after a large number of the specialist ornaments were taken. And officers say an estimate value for the items runs up to a total of between £80,000 and £100,000.
The stolen ornaments included Capodimonte pieces including The Last Supper which is worth £6,000, and two coach and horses valued at £5,000. Also taken was Cheats by Bruno Merli valued at £1,000 and Michael Angelo valued at £1,750.
The raiders also stole a Resurrection of Christ piece valued at £12,000, pieces by Volta and other valuable items.
Detective Constable Jamie Harris, investigating officer from Staffordshire Police, said: "The ornaments taken during this burglary are very specialist items.
"Some of these collectables are very rare and are worth a lot of money so we are understandably keen to reunite them with their rightful owner.
"It is highly likely they will be offered for sale out of Staffordshire and we want to issue a nationwide appeal to dealers of antiques and collectables to keep an eye out for any Capodimonte items being offered for sale under suspicious circumstances.
"If you become aware of any items you believe maybe from this stolen haul, or you have any information about the burglary, please get in touch."
Capodimonte is porcelain created by the Capodimonte porcelain manufacturer, which was established in Naples, Italy, in 1743.
It is famous for its moulded figurines and its decorative modelled flowers applied to cups and vases.
Anyone with information is asked to contact DC Harris at Staffordshire Police on 101, quoting incident number 489 of March 12.
Alternatively, you can contact the independent crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or through their Anonymous Online Form at www.crimestoppers-uk.org. No personal details are taken, information cannot be traced or recorded and you will not go to court.
