Theft and shoplifting may not be news in Paris, but a good many antiques going missing from state buildings makes world’s headlines.

French detectives are now investigating the mysterious disappearance of nearly 1,000 artifacts from the Elysée Palace and other presidential residences. The missing items range from art pieces and sculptures to antique furniture, including an 18th-century Régence chair and 17th-century Savonnerie carpets. 

Investigations started earlier this month after a stocktaking exercise, and it has now emerged that many more are vanishing, according to the police.

It all started in June when the country’s National Center of Plastic Arts (CNAP) filed an official complaint to the police that seven works of art are missing from the Elysée. The total value of the missing works, according to the organization which manages France's national contemporary art foundation, is thousands of U.S. dollars.

It’s not just Elysée Palace

Art has been found missing not just in the presidential residence, but also in the prime minister’s residence (the Matignon), the National Assembly, town halls and museums.

And the thefts are believed to have taken place but over decades.

If crockery is included, the list of missing objects totals a staggering 57,165, according to a report from The Telegraph.

Why the missing?

It’s still unclear if the objects have been stolen, displaced or simply forgotten due to poor record-keeping.

Plus, it’s become something of a “tradition” that employees of the state take a souvenir with them when they leave office, be they cleaners or high-ranking officials.

Media reports said that French police found tableware branded with government department names displayed on Le Bon Coin, a French trading platform for second-hand products.

A more serious case referred to former sub-prefect of the Haute-Loire region, Hugues Malecki. He stole a painting by Nathalie Gontcharoff by changing it with a copy in 2016. He was jailed for two years and fined some 180,000 U.S. dollars.

Poor record-keeping may be another reason behind the losses. For instance, a chandelier missing for 25 years was found in a storage room at the Elysée recently.