Thieves steal 2,500-year-old Celtic gold collar from French museum

Thieves stole a priceless 2,500-year-old gold torque from the Musée du Pays Châtillonnais – Trésor de Vix in Châtillon-sur-Seine, France, on Friday, July 24, after entering the museum as regular visitors and smashing its display case during opening hours.

The Heist

The thieves entered the museum around 10:30 a.m. by paying the admission fee, then broke the display case housing the gold collar before fleeing through the main entrance, according to Olivier Caracotch, the prosecutor of Dijon, who confirmed that an investigation for organized gang theft has been opened. The artifact, known as the torque of the Lady (or Princess) of Vix, is a gold collar dating to the 5th century BC and is considered one of the most valuable archaeological treasures in France.artnews+2

The museum has been closed for the duration of the investigation. Jérémie Brigand, the mayor of Châtillon-sur-Seine and president of the local authority, described the circumstances of the theft as "particularly exceptional".france3-regions.franceinfo+1

A Pattern of Attempts

The successful theft followed two previous failed burglary attempts — one in November 2025 and another in mid-July 2026, less than a week before the torque was taken. Art detective Arthur Brand noted on social media that thieves had previously stolen a Roman Bacchus statue from the same museum.x+2

The Vix Treasure

The torque is part of the Vix Treasure, a collection of Celtic and Greek artifacts discovered in 1953 in the burial mound of a Celtic woman near the village of Vix in Burgundy. The gold collar, decorated with lion's paw terminals, weighs approximately 480 grams and is regarded as a masterwork of ancient Celtic goldsmithing. ARTnews described it as "one of the most important archaeological treasures in Europe".telerama+1

The theft adds to a troubling pattern of museum heists in France and Italy in recent months, including the March 2026 theft of paintings by Cézanne, Matisse, and Renoir from a museum near Parma. No arrests have been announced, and the torque remains missing.euronews