Once upon a time there was a Thieves' Guild. It was closed prior to 1997. Anyone know of a possible come-back of this guild?? Or perhaps one very similar that exist now??

Thieves guild comeback has been rumored at least as long as I have played, so 10 years now. So it most likely will come at the same with samurai, necromancer and shaman guild.

That being said, when would that happen? Is there an estimated date when these would be complete?

I don't think it will ever come back... at least in the old PvP flavour.
The world is flowery now, and thats good I suppose :)

So, what would be the closest guild to the thieves guild that is currently active on the Mud?

Well, the only (afaik) guild that gets the pick locks skill is the Tiger guild, and it is probably the closest. Although, the LoC guild Aelena gets some thief-type stuff too.

--Hair