A 100-year-old anchor has been stolen from outside the Pirates Tavern at Williamstown.
The anchor was stolen between 7pm Sunday and 4pm Monday from outside the small tavern tucked behind Seaworks at 82 Nelson Place.
It has been valued at $1500, but the anchor is priceless to the Williamstown Maritime Association (WMA) which runs the tavern.
WMA president Maurice Boyd said he felt “sick in the stomach” after finding the anchor missing.
“It’s part of the place,” he said.
“It’s a thing that everybody looks at when they walk in and they sit outside and they see that anchor there, and to just suddenly find it missing, your stomach sinks.
“It was dredged up when they were dredging out in the bay and the dredging company donated that and another one to us.
“It’s at least 100-years-old because it’s an admiralty pattern one.
He believes the anchor was stolen for someone’s personal display.
“It’s not worth anything from a scrap point of view because it’s rusty,” he said.
“I was talking to a scrap metal merchant this morning and he said it’s $30 a ton but he wouldn’t even consider it.
“I talked to an antique dealer and he said he would love the thing and if he had it and was selling it, he would be selling it at $1500, because you just can’t get them.
“I would be inclined to think it could end up in their backyard or in a man cave.”
Anyone with information is asked to ring Maurice Boyd on 0413 914 040 or contact Williamstown police on 9393 9555.
