The ought to be sitting pride of place in the houses of Emeli Sande, Noel Gallagher or Calvin Harris but an Ivor Novello award has been found in a scrap heap in Croydon.
The Met Police were carrying out a London-wide crackdown on metal theft on May 21m under Operation Ferrous.
Officers in Croydon were astonished to find the award and have been carrying out an investigation ever since.
They have so far established that the award was made specifically for the Ivor Novello Institute.
It appears the award went missing during an office move in 1999 - although the item was not reported stolen at the time, the scrap metal yard failed to produce the correct documentation for the item.
Acting Inspector James Coomber, of the Met regional intelligence unit, said: "Overall, metal theft is down 50 per cent compared with this time last year thanks to activity generated by Operation Ferrous through scrap yard visits, road checks and search warrants.
"This is despite the price of copper and lead remaining relatively stable.
"Operations to disrupt this crime type, which is often committed by highly organised criminals, will continue to be developed and co-ordinated by the London regional intelligence unit with the support of borough and specialist staff."
Under amendments to the Scrap Metal Dealer's Act 1964 which came into effect in December 2012, scrap metal dealers are now prohibited from paying cash for scrap metal.
