Johanneburg - A total of 168 artistic pens, worth about R20 million, have been stolen from a collector’s home in Inanda, Joburg.
The wide range of artistic pens were imported from Italy and are embedded with precious stones such as diamonds and gold.
On Thursday, John Pearson of John Pearson & Associates told The Star the artistic pens were stolen while the collector, who did not want to be identified, was at the house with his daughter. He said the collector, who is currently overseas, was “totally devastated”.
“He has been collecting artistic pens for a number of years. Now, 90 percent of his collection is gone. We don’t know how the criminals got information about the pens. He lives in a highly secure property,” Pearson said.
He said the thugs had forced their way into the snooker room through a sliding door and entered the showroom, where the precious pens were on display.
According to Pearson, the precious pens were stolen on the night of January 22. The burglary was discovered the following day.
Now, Lloyds Underwriters is offering a reward for information leading to the successful recovery of the pens.
Pearson appealed to anyone who had information to contact him on 082 569 2906 or call Tukkies Engelbrecht on 082 374 2356 or Crime Stop at 0860 010 111, all hours.
The Star