BERLIN — Four men went on trial recently for stealing a gold coin the size of a manhole cover from one of Germany's flagship museums in a daring night-time heist using a ladder and a wheelbarrow. German authorities believe the 100 kg (220 pound) Canadian "Big Maple Leaf" — once recognized as the biggest gold coin in the world — has been melted down since its theft from Berlin's Bode Museum in March 2017. Prosecutors say three of the suspects broke into the museum through an upstairs window and used a ladder, wheelbarrow and rope to extract the coin from a bullet-proof glass. The fourth suspect was a museum guard accused of helping them. The coin, more than half a meter (yard) in diameter, three cm (1.2 inches) thick and made from ultra-pure gold, is one of just six produced by the Royal Canadian Mint in 2007 and was loaned to the museum by a private owner. It was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest gold coin in the world at the time it was made, although Australia has since minted one even bigger. — Reuters