Diamond-encrusted snuffboxes from the Royal Collection are believed to be among objects stolen by robbers in what is being described as a “very violent” raid on a Paris museum. Four thieves wearing gloves, balaclavas and helmets used axes and baseball bats to smash a display case during opening hours at the Musée Cognacq-Jay in the capital’s affluent Marais district. A police source said they had taken at least five boxes, including snuffboxes adorned with diamonds, that were on display as part of the museum’s hugely popular Pocket Luxury exhibition on “small, precious objects” from the 18th and early 19th centuries.
French media said the value of the stolen objects was about one million euros, although Paris council said the sum was still being estimated. According to Le Monde, artefacts lent by the Royal Collection were among those taken. The museum declined to comment on the report.
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