My stolen coin on eBay

[BULLY]

Agreed. I was curious because I want no part of it if it is being relisted and this is the coin in question. Odds are very high it is NOT this coin. I guess I was moved by the timing.

 

FWIW, it was a PCGS slabbed coin displaying the cert# and both sides of the coin. The seller has sent me additional pictures but I think I will sit back and watch things unfold.

 

Considering the Selling Price, and considering that it appears to have met the criteria of selling certified coins, doesn't it make you wonder why the seller didn't ask eBay why?

 

There are common violations of other reasons, nothing to do with the coin part of it, any number of which may have been violated:

 

http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/listing-ov.html

 

eBay just had a chat forum/workshop about

Member Workshop: How To Stop Breaking The Most Commonly Broken eBay Rules

 

http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=2000508759&start=0

 

 

It still makes me wonder...

 

 

[SecretSquirrel-migration]

Thanks for your constructive comments, especially Bully. I have decided to take the initiate and contact the police in the other state as well so they are not caught off guard by my police department's request. They can start their own information gathering process as well.

 

Since there is some speculation here:

 

The coin in question is sub $1000 value so we aren't talking beans but it's not the crime of the century either. I think the police are mostly interested in determining if there is part of a larger network or part of a cache of stolen goods.

 

I am not a member of the ANA.

 

I am going to keep communicating with the police daily and see what happens.

 

There are a few days left so there is some time to get a hold of the seller before the auction ends.

 

While if may be funny to think about, I am not going to get all confrontational with anyone directly. That would be the worst thing to do. I've been ripped off before on other things and even though it sucks sometimes you gotta take your lumps. Speaking of which, I need to get busy on my taxes!

 

Thanks again to everyone for your suggestions. I will post an update in a couple of days for those curious.

 

Cheers!

[Keigwin]

Agreed. I was curious because I want no part of it if it is being relisted and this is the coin in question. Odds are very high it is NOT this coin. I guess I was moved by the timing.

 

FWIW, it was a PCGS slabbed coin displaying the cert# and both sides of the coin. The seller has sent me additional pictures but I think I will sit back and watch things unfold.

 

Considering the Selling Price, and considering that it appears to have met the criteria of selling certified coins, doesn't it make you wonder why the seller didn't ask eBay why?

 

 

He says he did ask why but alleges that ebay has not replied yet. That's not unbelievable.

 

It is too bad there appears to be no way for ebay to give us a glimmer of insight when an auction is suddenly voided.

[CHABSENTIA]

I was referring to just the sentence "O.J. said he couldn't trust the Police" because people can't use that as an excuse for not acting responsible".

 

Let me tell you about two situations. We have friends who now live in Georgia.There was an incident in which his teenage daughter called 911 because a Man tried to get in her Car. The Police did not respond until 2 hours later although the Manager of the Store also called 911.

 

The Father was obviously upset and he has a Brother who is a Detective on the same Police Force. He asked him to check into it and the 911 tapes for both phone calls were missing.

 

For two years I was sub contracted to escorting Prisoners for Medical care here in Jacksonville. Although their Arms and Legs were in Shackles and we we armed there were Prisoners who threatened you and they ranged anywhere from Petty Theft to Murder.The only difference was that in the case of Murder a Police Officer or Corrections officer by State Law had to be with you.I would say that 50% of the Prisoners who required Immediate Medical attention was because they had either been beat up by the Police or had the Police dogs set on them.Again this was not 50% of the Prisoners but 50% that needed immediate Medical attention. Most of that other 50% was because of drunk driving or causing problems while drunk in Public.

 

 

Things happen.I am not ruling out finding out the address of the Seller as a last resort. I said that if this is the case then the Victim needs to first contact the Local Police to offer his assistance.They might want you to wear a wire or amke a phone call etc. I would only do this as a last resort and if the Seller livered nearby and the coin was really valuable.

 

I like the ANA part as well as contacting the Police in his hometown and possibly the Local Police of the Seller but he latter in the guise of assistance.

 

 

Like it or not the Police do work on a Priority basis and I don' know where this stands in the hen picking order. The Important thing is not to lose track of the Coin.

[CHABSENTIA]

I don't think you have to be a Member of ANA to particpate. You might have to be to collect a reward.My idea would be to notrify as many people as possible regardless of a reward or not.

 

 

When I was a Manager in Retail ,there was a case where a Manager at another Branch stole 50,000.00 destined for the Armored car here in Florida.

 

The Police knew he was going to New Orleans LA. and put out the word to La. authorites who caught him while he was checking into a Hotel there.

 

Granted we are talking 50 K but it doesn't hurt to touch all bases.

[CHABSENTIA]

Not really. If it is the coin in question then Ebay might be stalling and not give a reason as they are still investigating and/or the authorities are enroute to his front door.

 

Many times Ebay just ignores you anyway.

[NoTwilight]

I wouldn't hesitate to bid on the coin and make sure you win it. Snipe it with a nuclear snipe. Then keep them waiting for payment while the police move in. This is not the intent of "trafficing in stolen merchandise" laws in my opinion. Whatever you do don't let someone else buy it expecting the cops to protect you. They have the best intentions but have a zillion other cases. --Jerry

[NoTwilight]

As an afterthought, you shouldn't bid on it since they may recognize the shipping address. Have someone else do it. I'd be glad to. PM me if you need help. --Jerry

[jackson64]

I must respond to my earlier post--it was a knee jerk reaction ( about finding where the guy lived)....it's not just the thought of having my stuff taken..it's the other possibilities that started me simmering..

 

My wife is a nurse and often is home during the day sleeping( which is when 90% of burglaries take place)...I was just thinking (and getting angry) of the terrible things that may have occured if someone had broken into my house while my wife was alone sleeping or if my two teenaged daughters were at home...makes me shudder and my first reaction is wanting to get my hands on them...I don't condone this and my wife would kill me if I tried to "take care of it" myself...I am not a believer in vigilante responses....I must honestly say that if I could not get any police reaction, then I probably would pursue the matter myself in some manner ( which doesn't necessarily mean breaking his legs with a bat in the Walmart parking lot)...

 

PS: showing up at someones front door and confronting them WOULD just be stupid ...and the seller of the coin may also be the third or fourth person to possess the coin since its theft, so a rash reaction would be unjust..

[e1cnr]

Thieves usually don't wait a few years to fence/sell the goods

 

frequently they need a fix tonight

[BULLY]

Thieves usually don't wait a few years to fence/sell the goods

 

frequently they need a fix tonight

 

A very good point E1! I know some have speculated that this coin may have changed hands several times before landing with this seller, and your statement sort of sums up the idea of how that could come to be, or more accurately, it legitimizes the idea.

 

It's still an unproven theory, but it's a good one!

 

I think this should ALSO remind us of a couple of things:

 

1. Home security: as simple as either locking the doors, or getting appropriate locks like deadbolts -- and using them. I know some people in "small town America" think there is no crime in their area, but IT CAN HAPPEN TO ANYONE. If an attempted home invasion can happen to Warren Buffet at his home in Omaha, it can happen to anyone.

It may mean an alarm system or something more elaborate, but start with the basics.

 

2. Security for your collection: That means either a safe deposit box, or a home safe.

THINK BIG if you are thinking home safe, obviously it depends on your collection. But if it's in the home, rather than a safe deposit box, you'd probably want something a thief couldn't carry away! A safe that weights 1,200 pounds EMPTY is a good choice, imagine it filled with coins! As previously mentioned by the repentant husband and father, most break-ins occur during the day, and according to crime statistics, are "snatch and grab" robberies, looking for items that would surprise you --and they want to get in and out fast. The right safe generally makes them think that anything "good" is in there, and they move on to the next house.

 

3. Insurance for your collection: Homeowners insurance does not generally cover coin collections, and if it does, it generally limits the loss to a couple hundred dollars. That's right, a couple hundred dollars. That could be the value ONE COIN, not the hundreds or thousands of coins you may have amassed. Generally, most homeowner insurers know very little about insuring coins, so while they MAY be willing to "schedule" a collection like they schedule jewelry or other valuables, the cost may be EXCESSIVELY prohibitive. If you are a member of the ANA, the ANA has made an arrangement with Hugh Wood, Inc. of New York to act as an agent to offer insurance for collections of its members, and the policies are underwritten by AXA, a reliable carrier. There are other private insurers as well. Remember that even coins in safe deposit boxes are not insured.

 

4. Inventory of your collection, including serial numbers! As we have seen with this collector, it was invaluable to police, and even possibly YEARS later may be of critical importance in retrieving his property. If you are into NGC and PCGS slabbed coins, maintaining a record of your collection here in the Registry Sets sure doesn't hurt, but it would probably be hard to retrieve or print for insurance purposes. Some people do it by hand, some use an Excel type spreadsheet, some use photos/scans, or videocameras. Personally while I may participate in Registry Sets, the real work goes into entering my coins into a database I created in Microsoft Access. It has a "GUI" interface with drop-down items that makes it easy to enter the data, and on the back end, can be exported to Excel and sorted and manipulated every which way.

 

[CHABSENTIA]

You are correct. A woman used ot live next door to us and was involved in all kinds of shady deals. I ignorer her and one day she was turned in for M.J. possession which I later found out was because of a C.I at one of her parties.

 

The day before she had shown a M.J. plant ot my wife and for some reason blamed us and started all kinds of retaliation.One night a few large Biker guys came to my front door acting as if they had the wrong address and were looking for her address. I am pretty sure it was no accident.

 

 

My wife is from Italy. She is not American Italian. She is from Naples Italy where bI met her while working for Nato. I told this Woman that she had better make sure that her friends got her address correct in the Future or my wife was going to write home. I never had this problem again.

 

 

[CHABSENTIA]

Not only that but the poster said it happened a few years ago. Either the Seller was not originally involved or the address has long been forgotten.

[BULLY]

As an addition to my post about lessons we can ALL learn from this situation, about how to take basic precautions, and how this collector's record-keeping may help him retrieve his coin even years later, I happened upon an article on AOL today, headlined:

 

Is Your Home a Burglar's Dream? Security Tips

 

http://realestate.aol.com/photo-galleries/improve/home-safety-tips?pg=1

 

 

One of the tips mentioned: Motion sensor lights. Some think of this as exclusively an OUTDOOR feature. However, these are an indoor item as well.

 

HSN sells a product (I am sure it can be found elsewhere) that you plug into an outlet, then plug your lamp into it. In turn, motion of varying sensitivity (it is adjustable) will turn the light on. Thinks like a large "thump," a door opening, or even a KNOCK on the door can trigger the light to turn on. It can give the illusion of someone being home, hearing a noise, and turning a light on. It's also actually nice when you come home after dark, open a door, and a light just pops on for you.

 

Alternatively, I've seen another item that can give the impression of the look that somebody is home. QVC (and I am sure other places) sells FLAMELESS candles. They are actual wax candles, but instead of burning them, they are battery operated and the light inside is an LED light, which lasts basically forever. The batteries last a LONG time too. I've had one running for a year I think without changing the batteries. Anyway, they have some that are just on/off. Others though have an upgrade, with a feature that has a timer. You set it to come on at the same time every day, and it will shut itself off a few (4 or 5, I forget) hours later. Have a few of these pillar candles around, and again, it gives the ILLUSION of someone being home, sort of like a lamp on a timer. After all, who'd leave a candle burning (or a bunch of them) when they aren't home?

 

Granted, lighting is only one tool in the home safety arsenal, but I'd use everything there is, as mentioned in my earlier posting.

[CHABSENTIA]

I have three Alarms that raise Hell at the slighest noise. They have another name which is "dogs". I had my glass doors to the rear of rhe House replaced with very strong French door types. The front I had replaced with a outside door with a lock and the one behind that with a really strong door with Double Locks.

 

 

By the time they could get the door down I will be ready with a Gun or two.

[jackson64]

hello burglars/thieves...meet my pet, Alex......why don't you move on to any easier house...

[SecretSquirrel-migration]

Here's an update. It sounds like I am going to get my coin back! WOO HOO!!

 

There is an ongoing investigation so I cannot say more, but this is great news!

 

Incidentally, Bully, the reason I only lost one coin is because they were all in a safe deposit box at the bank. I had just won this coin about a week prior on eBay. I typically keep new items around the house to admire them for a while for a week or so before putting them safely away. The perp just got lucky and happened to find it in my desk. I thought I was being as careful as I could be. You never know.

 

One thing I learned from my burglary experience is perps go straight for the back of the house to your bedroom closets and any office desk. They will grab gym bag or back pack that you have and load up with fast grab small items that are shiny. Let this be a lesson not to try to hide valuables in your desk or bedroom!

 

The end of this tale has yet to come but it seems like we are going to find out who the thief was!

[harvey8542]

Very good to hear good luck

[shirohniichan]

One thing I learned from my burglary experience is perps go straight for the back of the house to your bedroom closets and any office desk. They will grab gym bag or back pack that you have and load up with fast grab small items that are shiny. Let this be a lesson not to try to hide valuables in your desk or bedroom!

 

Great news!

 

I've heard burglars also look for coffee cans on the top shelves of bedroom closets.

 

When my apartment was burglarized, the burglars turned all of my dresser drawers upside down and went through my desk drawers. For some reason they didn't make it to the closet.

 

[BULLY]

Here's an update. It sounds like I am going to get my coin back! WOO HOO!!

 

There is an ongoing investigation so I cannot say more, but this is great news!

 

Incidentally, Bully, the reason I only lost one coin is because they were all in a safe deposit box at the bank. I had just won this coin about a week prior on eBay. I typically keep new items around the house to admire them for a while for a week or so before putting them safely away. The perp just got lucky and happened to find it in my desk. I thought I was being as careful as I could be. You never know.

 

One thing I learned from my burglary experience is perps go straight for the back of the house to your bedroom closets and any office desk. They will grab gym bag or back pack that you have and load up with fast grab small items that are shiny. Let this be a lesson not to try to hide valuables in your desk or bedroom!

 

The end of this tale has yet to come but it seems like we are going to find out who the thief was!

 

FIRST: This is great news! I assume that since you said it was an ongoing investigation, that this means you are getting your coin back because law enforcement was cooperative, and presumably, eBay was too -- HOORAY!

 

 

SECOND: Great security notion that you keep your coins in a safe deposit box of course. It seems like common sense, but the thing about common sense is that it's not too common. Your points are well taken, and should be common sense to anyone:

 

THIEVES CHECK THE UNDERWEAR DRAWER -- or the equivalent thereof. They check those "hiding places" that so many people think are so secure. Sometimes, if you are going to keep valuables in your home, the BEST hiding place is right in plain sight, in a HUGE SAFE right in your living room, one that you could fit a couple of bodies into, one that weighs about 1,200 pounds or more EMPTY, much less if it's filled with coins or other valuables. One that is probably also bolted to the floor (or may not even be necessarily bolted, because of it's size and weight to begin with). One that even on the best of days, empty, would take five professional safe movers a few hours to move, and that's with furniture out of the way and ideal weather conditions. A thief, at least a COMMON THIEF, sees this safe, and says "why bother?" Anything good in this house is in there.

 

I hope your luck continues, and that the individual(s) involved in the theft are brought to justice.