# Securing garden bronzes: the scrap price has already eaten a Moore figure

> Secure garden bronzes: anchor them, do not leave them easy to lift as scrap. Henry Moore's Reclining Figure was stolen in 2005 and melted down.
> Quelle: https://tresorrari.de/artikel/gartenbronzen-sichern · Stand: 2026-10-01 · Tresorrari Redaktion

In December 2005, Henry Moore's "Reclining Figure" disappeared from the foundation grounds in Much Hadham. 2.1 tonnes, in the reports around 3 million pounds. The police assume the bronze was melted down and sold as scrap for about 1,500 pounds. The grounds belong to the foundation, it is not a living room. Size alone does not protect when the metal has a scrap price. In the overview [Security for collectors](/artikel/sicherheit-fuer-sammler), the garden bronze is the case in which the certified safe is too small and anchoring is the subject.

## What you do outside

Fix heavy pieces so they do not move onto a vehicle in one night. Light, a view from the street, a camera on the plinth if you actually review it and do not merely set it up. A small figure in an open front garden is an invitation. It belongs indoors, or in a place that cannot be detached from the sidewalk.

## What time does to it

Patina is often part of it. You do not scrub it to a shine. You check the fixing, because a loose plinth helps the thief and the storm.

## The folder

Artist, measurements, weight roughly, photo, fixing, receipt, insurance policy as a named item. A melted-down bronze does not come back. The list is what remains.

## Häufige Fragen

### Does the weight help?

Against the casual thief, yes. Against someone with a vehicle and time, no. The Moore figure weighed 2.1 tonnes.

### Why melt it down?

Because the scrap price is money at once and the artwork is hard to sell without papers. About 1,500 pounds against a reported value around 3 million.

### Small figure in the bed?

Indoors, or fixed so it does not leave as someone walks past.