NATCHEZ &045;&045; The staff of Historic Jefferson College spent Friday coping with a stolen story.

An 1852 gold $1 coin was stolen from the college’s exhibit room sometime Thursday, and with it went a piece of history, Branch Director Cheryl Branyan said.

&uot;This is the first time something of this magnitude has happened and we are all just devastated,&uot; Branyan said. &uot;We feel betrayed. This is property belonging to the people of Mississippi.&uot;

The coin, originally found on the college’s grounds, was kept in a locked exhibit case with other items. Workers discovered Friday morning that the screws in the lock had been removed and the coin was gone.

The exhibit room stays open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

&uot;It did have significant monetary value, but it was more important to us because of the historical value,&uot; Branyan said. &uot;People go to the museum to see artifacts that connect you to the past. You see this and think of the person that was walking in 1852 with the coin in his pocket.&uot;

Adams County Sheriff’s deputies are investigating the case and an apparent link to a similar burglary at the Old Capitol Museum in Jackson earlier this week.

Guest books at both museums have the same signature, and coins were stolen at both places, Sheriff Ronny Brown said.

The guestbook signature gives an address that turns up a different person when compared with law enforcement identification records, Brown said.

The ACSO has identified a suspect, a 30-year-old white male driving a gold car with New York license plates, but doesn’t have a name.

The Jackson burglary is considered a misdemeanor because the coins stolen are valued at less than $500, but the Historic Jefferson College coin qualifies as a felony, Brown said.

The ACSO has notified other agencies to be on the lookout for similar cases and the vehicle.

The coin has a lady’s face on one side and says United States of America and $1 on the other side.

Brown asked anyone with any information to call Crime Stoppers at 604-442-5000.