Hasta La Ideas

Over the years, we’ve posted about a pretty substantial number of art thefts, admittedly because they’re juicy and people love a good heist story. But most of the time those posts center around some gigantic, faceless museum that gets pinched, and it’s pretty easy to distance yourself from any emotional connection to the robbery. Not so when it happens to an individual or a family no less. Such is the case with Mark and Jannet Benz, a couple from Fremont, California who were robbed of their San Francisco landmark Lego models. The San Jose Mercury News reports that the buildings, which had just been exhibited at the Museum of American Heritage and include block-based recreations of places like the Palace of Fine Arts and Ghirardelli Square, were stolen out of the back of the Benz’s truck. We post it because it’s an interesting story, strange that thieves would go after Legos, but also because it’s real shame, and if you should happen to live in the area, you should keep an eye out for a quick, back-of-a-van sale of thousands of blocks. Here’s a bit:

Since the theft, Jannet Benz said her husband has been looking for the landmarks. He recently visited a flea market in San Jose in hopes of finding them, but he did not spot them.

Now, more than a week after the theft, the structures likely have been dismantled by the thieves, she said. She suspects that someone will try to sell the pieces in bulk lots.

“It’s doubtful we’ll get them back, and that’s absolutely heart breaking,” she said.

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