The sword belonging to the Provincial Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons of Kent was stolen in March 2016 when it was inside a provincial officer’s car which was targeted by thieves.
The car was later found but the sword remained missing despite a police investigation and an attempt to raise publicity on social media.
In June this year, however, the sword was spotted being offered for sale at a London auction house by a researcher from the Masonic Library and Museum in Norfolk.
The Mark Province of Kent informed the police as well as its insurance company. The insurers in turn contacted Art Recovery International (ARI) who, with the aid of the Metropolitan Police, negotiated the surrender of the sword from the consignor to the auction who had apparently purchased the sword at a car boot sale in West Sussex.
The name of the auction house involved has not been disclosed
Christopher Marinello of Art Recovery International said: “A cursory internet search reveals a 2016 posting about this theft. I urge the art market to get with the programme and search stolen art databases such as the non-profit Artive Database (artive.org) before accepting works for sale.”
Return of the Sword
While no arrests have been made, the Mark Master Masons of Kent were pleased to take back possession of the sword which will be used again for its original ceremonial purpose at the lodge’s next annual meeting in September.
The Provincial Grand Master of the Mark Master Masons of Kent, Archie Torrance, said: “I was delighted to attend the auction house [earlier this month] to recover the sword. We were all very sad when we heard it had been stolen last year as it had been part of the Provincial equipment since 1886. From our perspective, it is an irreplaceable artefact and we are absolutely delighted that it has been found.”
