Priceless ancient golden helmet recovered more than a year after theft from Dutch museum

By Canadian Press on April 2, 2026.

ASSEN, Netherlands (AP) — A priceless ancient golden helmet from Romania stolen last year from a museum in the Netherlands has been recovered, Dutch authorities said Thursday.

Under the guard of balaclava-wearing clad police, prosecutors unveiled the 2,500-year-old Cotofenesti helmet during a news conference in the eastern Dutch city of Assen.

The helmet, considered a cultural icon of Romania, was on loan to the Drents Museum when it was nabbed more than a year ago along with a number of other objects. The theft sent shockwaves through the art world.

The Associated Press