1066 Wargaming - Miniature Theft

[MeridarchGekkota]

I just saw this on Facebook and figured this would be as good a place as any to post it.

Original Facebook post here: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=719434375078519&id=568542700167688

URGENT APPEAL FOR HELP

In 2016, the members of 1066 Wargaming Club bought over 1000 miniature Saxons and Normans. Over several months an army of volunteers painstakingly built and painted all of these miniature soldiers in order to enact the Battle of Hastings as a huge boardgame. Since then, more volunteers from the club have taken this massive game to different boardgaming events and historic events; you may have seen it at Battle Abbey during their annual Battle of Hastings weekend, or at the Wyntercon gaming convention.

Sometime during the night between Saturday 13 October 2018 and Sunday 14 October 2018 this massive army was stolen from Battle Abbey. 1066 Wargaming Club members had been planning to spend both days of the historic event running games for the public, and showing our hobby to a wider audience.

Of course this huge number of miniature soldiers has great significance to 1066 Wargaming Club because we have all spent a long, long time making this game the massive spectacle that it was.

The miniatures are Saxon & Norman Infantry, Archers, & Knights, mostly from Gripping Beast and Conquest Games, and are plastic minis, based in groups on wooden bases. They are all painted, but as they were painted by a large number of volunteers, the paint-jobs are not all identical.

If anyone has any information that might lead to us getting our game back, please let us know. Also, please share this post to any groups you know, so that we can cover as much ground as possible, or at least make it hard for any thieves to sell this game.

Thanks in advance. 

There's pictures of some of the miniatures on the original Facebook post.

[Charlie_]

This sort of thing always perplexes me. If someone steals a huge pre-painted collection like this, what do they intend to do with it? They can't take it out in public to clubs and shows, as before long someone will identify it, especially with how easy it is to take pics of games at a show and put them online. And if they intend to sell  on ebay, all it takes is someone to identify it and they will be tracked down.... So they are left with the option of just keeping it at home to themselves.

Sad...

[Captain Blood]

On the anniversary of the Battle of Hastings as well... 

(Mind you, I suppose that's why they had it all down there... )

[grant]

Hope you find them, this thing is always disturbing. Who steals miniatures? Sad.

[SteveBurt]

The really sad thing is they will probably end up getting dumped.
Thieves think 'these must be worth lots of money' then discover the market for them is very small.

[Captain Blood]

True. If it had been several hundred metal miniatures painted to a connoisseur standard, it would have been a pretty valuable haul. But I'm afraid mass-painted GB and Conquest plastics aren't going to be worth that much. Which tells me the thieves probably weren't connected with the hobby - just opportunists who will quickly find out that the risk they took wasn't worth it. So all for nothing - senseless

[Westfalia Chris]

Damn them all. An arrow to the eye would be too good for them, I guess.

[FramFramson]

True. If it had been several hundred metal miniatures painted to a connoisseur standard, it would have been a pretty valuable haul. But I'm afraid mass-painted GB and Conquest plastics aren't going to be worth that much. Which tells me the thieves probably weren't connected with the hobby - just opportunists who will quickly find out that the risk they took wasn't worth it. So all for nothing - senseless

I'd agree but why would thieves be at a wargaming convention of all places if they didn't at least have a faintly passing knowledge of the hobby? There's no way the average punter is out there thinking "Wargames! Yeah! That's where the money is!" when there's community rec centre lockers to be broken into, or what have you. 

[Hammers]

I am sorry to appear the sceptic here but since there are so many hoaxes and exaggerations fluttering around these days: is there a confirmation this has happened?

[Cubs]

Yeah, Interpol have released a photo of the empty corner where they used to be.

[Eric the Shed]

So Sad - and given I am painting up a thousand Normans and Saxons at the moment I know how long they must have taken to paint...

[grant]

Yeah, Interpol have released a photo of the empty corner where they used to be.

[stone-cold-lead]

I am sorry to appear the sceptic here but since there are so many hoaxes and exaggerations fluttering around these days: is there a confirmation this has happened?

If they were running a gofundme campaign I'd understand the cynicism.