Memorabilia from historic joint mission stolen from museum

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Artifacts from an exhibit of the historic Apollo-Soyuz space mission were taken from an exhibit at Omniplex. Police estimated the value of the 17 items at $90,000. "The value we

Thursday, January 13th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Artifacts from an exhibit of the historic Apollo-Soyuz space mission were taken from an exhibit at Omniplex. Police estimated the value of the 17 items at $90,000. "The value we have in them is historical and cultural, which of course we can't replace," said Nancy Coggins, public relations assistant for Omniplex.

Someone smashed four display cases in the Air Space Museum between Friday evening and Monday morning, Ms. Coggins said Wednesday. According to a police report, the items taken included several silver plaques, three medallions valued at $500 each, a $2,000 silver dagger, a $10,000 Apollo-Soyuz paperweight, and two items in Lucite -- a $10,000 screw and a plug valued at $15,000.

The report also noted that a Styrofoam circle containing nine of Oklahoma astronaut Tom Stafford's pins, valued at $15,000, was taken. Ms. Coggins said the items were given out to people to celebrate the July 1975 joint mission involving U.S. astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts. She said police, not the museum, attached monetary values to the stolen items. "We can't give a value," she explained. "It's worth whatever the collector is willing to pay."

Ms. Coggins said the thief failed to take certificates of authenticity, which she says collectors will require before paying for such items. Omniplex does have an alarm system, but the perimeter alarm and motion detectors weren't activated because the theft apparently occurred during business hours, Ms. Coggins said.

The FBI has placed the thefts on a national register of stolen art and artifacts so that auction houses can be notified about them, Ms. Coggins said. A $1,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whomever stole the items, she said. Anyone with information can call CrimeStoppers at (405)235-7300.