Gold Coins Also Reported Missing From Boston Public Library

Apparently more than just valuable artwork is missing from the Boston Public Library's archives.

A library spokeswoman says a retired employee who now volunteers told administrators last week that gold coins originally placed in the cornerstone of the main building have been missing for decades.

The spokeswoman said the library has informed police.

The coins were apparently placed in a time capsule in 1888 which was opened in the 1990s. No estimate of the coins' value was disclosed.

Last week, it was revealed that the library is missing two major works of art valued together at over $600,000: an 8-by-11-inch 1504 Albrecht Dürer engraving and a  5-by-6-inch 1634 Rembrandt etching.

It's unclear whether the missing pieces were stolen or simply misfiled.

Boston police and the FBI are investigating whether the disappearance of the pieces was “an inside job," and the BPL’s keeper of special collections had been placed on leave.

Meanwhile, City Councilor Stephen Murphy is calling for the resignation of the Boston Public Library's president and the chairman of the board of trustees, saying he has no confidence in how the group has handled the revelation of the missing artworks from the library's collection.