Posted by steve (indrectly) Desperate to prevent thieves from melting down their silver championship trophy and the rest of their prized collection, officials at the Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame announced a $15,000 reward Monday for their safe return. On Saturday, museum Executive Director George Du Pont Jr. found a window smashed, the museum in shambles and the trophy -- considered the crown jewel of organized polo -- missing. The museum's collection of silver and bronze trophies was gone too. The theft of museum's collection, worth about $500,000, has officials reeling. "We'd love to get a ransom call," said Development Director Brenda Lynn. Pledges for a reward have poured in as news of the brazen burglary swept through the worldwide Polo community. Lynn has received condolence calls from as far away from Argentina. "The trophy is valuable because of its history," Lynn said. It would be worth far less as melted down silver, she said. The double-handled silver cup, which dates back to 1904, is considered the polo equivalent of hockey's Stanley Cup. It was to be awarded April 14 to the winner of the U.S. Polo Association's tournament at Royal Palm Polo, west of Boca Raton. Now Polo officials are scrambling to find a replacement -- possibly a replica -- to hand to this year's winner. The collection was donated by the family of the "queen of Palm Beach" Mary Sanford, and her husband, Stephen "Laddie" Stanford. A silver polo ball also missing had been a gift from the Maharaja of Jaipur in India. Officials have notified e-Bay, antique shops and polo enthusiasts to be on the lookout for the stolen cup, "in case someone opens their jacket and says, 'I've got the U.S. Open championship trophy,' " Lynn said. Link: http://www.polonews.com/cgi-bin/discus/show.cgi?968/968
on 3/15/2002, 6:33 am
Polo museum offers $15,000 reward for stolen collection
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