Theft of Historic Glasgow Artifact
Police have disclosed that a historic artifact valued at nearly £500,000 was stolen from a Glasgow city museum six months ago. The item, known as the Lipton Cup, was taken during an overnight theft last October.
The police stated that the theft, which occurred overnight between 22 and 23 October, could not be publicly announced at the time to avoid any risk of the 18-carat gold trophy being destroyed.
Despite ongoing investigations, no arrests have been made, and authorities have informed Interpol about the theft.
The Lipton Cup was originally presented to Glaswegian merchant Sir Thomas Lipton in New York in December 1930, following his fifth and final attempt to win the Americas' Cup, the premier international prize in yacht racing. Two years later, after Lipton's death, the trophy was gifted to the city of Glasgow.
The theft was discovered during cleaning on the morning of 23 October, with no signs of forced entry into the building.
The missing cup is valued at £490,000.
Response from Glasgow Life and Police
Jane Rowlands, head of museums and collections at Glasgow Life, described the theft as disgraceful.
"This is not only a loss for the museum, but a theft from the people of Glasgow, whose shared heritage our collections represent.
Since October, we have been supporting Police Scotland in their investigation to recover the item and have taken steps to review security measures across our museums.
We have also added it to the Art Loss Register – the world's largest private database of stolen art – which will flag it to auction houses worldwide in an effort to prevent any attempted sale.
Our priority is to see this treasured object safely returned to the people of Glasgow and we would encourage anyone who may have information about the cup's whereabouts to tell the police."
The cup is described as highly distinctive, featuring two handles and a detachable domed lid, mounted on a square silver plinth base. It displays a representation of the Americas' Cup on an enamel shield depicting the American flag in red, white, and blue.
Sir Thomas Lipton, founder of the Lipton's Tea brand, died in 1931 at the age of 83.
Detective Sergeant Bob Carrigan stated that extensive inquiries remain ongoing, including CCTV review and conventional investigation methods, including within the art world.
"The cup has been circulated as a stolen artefact via Interpol and other industry stolen property registers.
This trophy is of significant historic value and belongs to the people of Glasgow. I am now appealing to the public for their help as part of our investigation to find and return the item to the museum."
He added that anyone with any information, regardless of how small, should contact the police.
