My whole collection gone
 

Most of you dont know me but ive been a member on here for awhile. This afternoon my house was robbed while i was away at the gym and almost all of my collection was stolen along with my watches, some clothes, tv and mini safe. I feel hopeless because ive spent countless hours building my collection to have it quickly taken away from me by some piece of sh*t thief. Most of the items were sentimental and my photos were my passion. I dont know how they knew my photos had any value but they didnt hesitate to take those either. I love this forum and have gotten so much help from you guys which is why im sharing this news. I dont know where to start now

Awful news. Any chance you may 'know' the thief? He knew you were gone during the day and grabbed a bunch of your collection. Maybe some recent work done at your house by contractors?

I didnt even think about that..yes weve had tons of people in and out working on the house. But no way of knowing

Only reason I thought of it is since it happened to my parents years ago. Cases the joint and pinpointed what to take. Obviously reach out to the police and let them know you've had contractors in. So sorry to hear this.

Thanks man..i appreciate it

Please post any info you have on items or better yet pics so that if they show up quick folks will know they are stolen. Best advise for getting stuff back is to quickly take a list to every local pawn shop so they know not to buy and plead with a local cop to help you (they often know who local burglars are but cannot catch) good luck.
J

Sorry about your loss. I wouldn't hesitate to visit all of the local pawn shops and card shops (if there are any) with information on your losses. Keep an eye on Craigslist or any cheap "For Sale" outlets.

My sympathies to you, by any chance have you checked with your insurance company to see it you have any coverage. I know this can't replace what is gone but it might help you begin to rebuild your collection and aide the police if things are recovered.
If you have an inventory and photos I would provide them to the police , your insurance company , people on this site, local card and pawn shops, and maybe place an ad with reward in your newspaper. I have even seen people on the news discussing the theft of items to " get the word out ".
Good Luck

I am so sorry to hear of your troubles. I don't know what I would do if this happened to me, I hope the police can catch the SOB that did this to you, and salvage what they can for you. The above poster is right, it was probably someone that knew what you had and knew what to go for. Did you show any of the contractors your collection, did any of them show an unusual interest in what your collection was valued at? If you think about who could have done it, you will probably realize who it was. Trust your instincts, and share your thoughts with the police. I know a lot of police officers, and they really don't like scum-bags stealing from honest citizens. God bless.

That's horrible to hear. Hopefully you've already reported this to the police and insurance. You also might trying posting some of the photos here, so that if board members see them on ebay or auction houses, they can let you know. Take care.

Most home burglaries are committed by someone the victim knows. My condo was burglarized about 12 years ago. I had a strong feeling it was the guy that lived three doors down. Sure enough, exactly 10 days later he was picked up on a DWI with one of my stolen guns in his possession. While he was in jail, I kicked in his door and got the rest of my stuff back.

Joey, sorry to hear about your loss. There is a very strong chance it was somebody you know or has been in the house recently. Good luck!

Geez Joey, my heart really goes out to you. :(
Good luck in hopefully getting your stuff back.

Thank you guys for the kind words..i have contacted the police and am hoping for thebbest but know its a long shot. We had alot of contractors in and out since our house were renting went to sh*t. i have some of my items out displayed on my shelf so im sure some of them have seen then them. The only things the thief didnt take was my kreindler 5x7 joe jackson painting which i might have to part with to raise some money, my paintings and a few photos.

Sorry to hear Joey.. Hopefully you'll get your stuff back soon.

Check with the local antique shops as well...I had a woman sell me some Barbie dolls last Summer that turned out to be stolen from her sister. I get a lot of shady looking characters coming in weekly to try and sell me stuff.

I mostly just had photos and a few autos. I dont know of any card stores around here who deal in vintage photos so its going to be real difficult. Ill keep checking craigslist but its harder these days to track things down. Hopefully the piece of sh*t slips so I can recover my stuff. My whole collection of babe ruth photos is gone which was the most important to me. This is a huge blow

Sorry to hear
 

Joey:

So sorry to hear of your loss. You might want to consider notifying the likely potential outlets for the pictures (auction houses and dealers) and, if possible, send them photos so they will know what to look for if approached by someone trying to sell them. You might also want to consider notifying the hobby media outlets in order to help get the word out.

Best wishes quickly recovering your photos and other stolen goods.

Scott

Joey,
Make a complete list of your stolen items, describe the photos and watches the very best you can, any engravings. If your photos had any particular damage marks, anything that would separate your photo with a similar one. That goes on the list also. Make copies, the police will need a copy. Insurance company also needs a copy.
Call all pawn shops asap, and sport shops, in your area.
90 percent of the time, it is someone nearby, that knows your routine, or someone you know.
Time is a factor.
I have been in law enforcement for over 40 years, please give as detailed a descriptions as you can.
When they enter your stole items in the computers, these details or marks, corners missing, anything, will stand out. It is almost as good as a serial number.

Bill

Thieves
 

Thieves absolutely suck... When I was 10 my house got robbed... Do you have photos that you can post so fellow forum members can be on the lookout? I have been there and realize its a very helpless feeling, but keep your head up and pray for the best... Unique items are not easy to move... And eventually the guy will get caught..

Thanks bill...the thing that sucks is I only have scans of a few of my photos. I had 5 albums full of vintage photos so its going to be difficult. But like you said Ill just give them as much info as i know and see what happens. Hoping for the best.

Ill post whatever pics I have in a little while of some of things that were taken. really appreciate the support guys

Joey,

You posted many of your photos here on Net54, check your past attachments.


Bill

Correct! There are your scans...

Really sorry to hear this. Best of luck in recovering your items and I hope they catch the crooks.

Terrible news. Sorry to hear about this. Hope they catch them quickly and you get your items back.

Good news is there are limited places you can get fair money for vintage Ruth and baseball photos, so I bet you'll see them sooner or later. Get the word out to local antique stores, pawn shops and shows, the next baseball card show, and watch the online auctions. Original Ruth photos of course have good value and they're common knowledge on this board, but they're esoteric and obscure items most everywhere else and only a small number of folks will pay fair rate for them.

You can sell gold coins and diamond rings anywhere, but not many people will pay more than a few dollars for a musty small photo of a baseball player, even it it would sell for $1,000 at major auction.

And very few people outside the hobby (and not many in the hobby) will have any idea how to tell if a Ruth photo is original or cheap reprint, only further limiting the number of buyers and selling avenues.

I hope u do too soon. I lost a ton of stuff a few years back in a car break in. Stinks. Good luck and yes, watch Pawn shops and CL . Nail the SOB

Very sorry to here this. I can't even imagine how bad that would feel. My sympathies...

Hope you can catch them. Search ebay and craiglist and local shops and if any card shows coming to your area soon.... alert as many people as you can to keep a lookout.

Sorry to hear about this, can't even imagine how your feelin. Where do you live, or area where you live? Maybe some members can keep an eye out or know some of the local shops and stores.

Wow I am so sorry to hear that. As you know we are neighbors. I would recommend you call Don at Sportscards NW in University place. Another dealer told me that Don helped establish a network with all of the bigger dealers in the NW. When one of their stores loses items to theft they send a email description or photo of the stolen items to every member of the network. Whenever one of the members has a seller walk into the store they check for the stolen item. Its kind of (pardon the analogy) an Amber Alert for memorabilia and cards. I do know that there have been arrests made through this network. Don is a great guy and I'm sure he would help you out.

http://www.nw-sportscards.com/

Gosh, I hate hearing this. Please let us know what we can do to help.

If you have saved pictures of the key stolen items, perhaps consider starting a new thread containing those images. If anything surfaces, maybe we can nail these creeps.

Very sorry about this!

thanks alot man...I really appreciate it. Honestly its just cool having you guys' support. Im at work now so ill post some pics tomorrow when i get a chance.

Joey,
This is just terrible. I think everyone has the right idea. Get the word out to everyone as fast as you can. Hopefully the guy will get caught real soon. Just glad that no one was hurt.
Best,
Mark

Sorry man!! What did the cops say.. You did report this right?

Albert

So sorry to hear this, Joey.

I've been robbed before and I can empathize and know that losing the stuff is one thing, but it's more about feeling violated. Stay cool, man -- it's just stuff. Good luck.

Also keep an eye on eBay to see if anyone tries to fence stuff there.

Joey, this really sucks. I feel awful after reading this. I'm so sorry this happened. I hope the guy that stole your collection gets hit by a bus.

Did you have insurance on any of your collectibles? If you didn't have a specific policy covering your collection, contact your home owners insurance provider, and see if they provide any coverage.

I'm not real familiar with your collection. How many of your cards are graded? Make up a list of your graded cards, and their serial numbers. From that list, as has been suggested, contact local pawnshops and dealers with pictures you might have. Watch Ebay, auction houses, Craig's List, etc. If you see any of you cards (ones with matched serial #s), contact whomever is hosting the auction/sale, and let them know that your stolen property is listed. You might be asked to provide proof. Once that's done, you shouldn't have any difficulty getting the info for the person selling your cards. Then, you can get the local authorities involved.

If you provide any info you have about your cards, post it here. I for one will keep my eyes peeled, and if I see anything of yours, I'll let you know what I saw, and where I saw it.

This idiot is going to make a mistake.

Very sorry to hear this. It happened to me, and more than once. There's some good advice given here, and it does work. Don't know where you live, but I'm in Phoenix, and would have thought it impossible to ever recover my cards in a city this size. I was greatly impressed with Phoenix PD, who recovered almost all of the cards stolen in my second burglary and was entirely professional throughout the whole ordeal. Same for Flagstaff--two hours north--when I contacted the local sheriff's dept after seeing one of my cards being auctioned on ebay, they sent a deputy out and I had my card back in less than a week. I'm also forever grateful to Marty.Pritchard (allmartys stuff) for noticing my cards (from first burglary) being offered by a walk-in at a show and agreeing to buy them (insufficient security to do much else)--I of course had to pay to get them back but at least they were found.

My point is get the word out and trust law enforcement--even though they have more pressing concerns they will take the matter seriously.

I feel bad for you, Joey. Losing my collection would be a big monetary blow but I think the psychological would be worse.

I have nothing to add to what's already been advised. Good luck!

joey
 

I'm so sorry that this has happened to you.
Many are already giving their support to you and many will follow.
wishing you all the best with this,
barry

Joey, PM me if you are interested in my offer; otherwise I'll assume not.

I'm very sorry to hear about the theft of your collection. That really stinks.
If it were me, I would gather the email addresses of every estate auction company, antique shop, card shop in a 20 mile or so radius around your house, and send them a group email detailing what was stolen with your contact info. Also, this is a longshot, but it might be worth posting on your local craigslist: Collector paying top dollar for Yankees/Babe Ruth related items. The thief might be stupid/greedy enough to contact you.
Good Luck

Thank you so much for all the support and great advice. Right now im dealing with our house rental company to find out about coverage if any and find out what they can do. The thing that scares me is the company that owns this house owns tons of other houses and so far since weve moved in it has had countless problems and their customer service hasnt been that good. I emailed the manager and am waiting for a response back. I dont have insurance on the collectibles which I really regret not doing but never thought in a million years id be faced with this. I am putting together a list of what I had and alot of my collection I didnt have pictures of so its going to be tough. The biggest blow is my babe ruth photos which were my passion. I enjoyed those more than anything. Ill keep everyone posted and again thank you guys very much for all the help and kind words

Making a police report is essential, not so much that they'll solve the case (They won't be assigning a detective and pack of blood hounds to the case), but for the record. You don't want it in the future that you find the stuff but have troubles getting it it back because you never reported it as stolen. Even if a police department secretary just files it in a filing cabinet two minutes after you fill it out, it's important to get it on record.

I agree.... did you file a police report Joey? You have not directly answered that question.

I am sorry to hear about this... it must be a nightmare. Everything I have is in safety deposit boxes for this very reason. It is too bad we have to worry about thieves.

Yes i filed a police report and went to a couple pawn shops by my house. I was thinking about going the safety deposit route but never did it...wish i wouldve now

My guess is you'll find them and be able to get them back. Vintage baseball photos is a small world.

Joey,
As I said, when a stolen item is listed onto a computerized Police form, it asks for description. There is another area that asks for any additional identifiable marks. Check your old scans here on Net54, take a close look and if you see and tear, even the smallest of piece missing off a corner. That can be noted. And if they come across photos that may be yours, these little identifiable marks can show them to be yours.
It is a lot of work, you can give them a list of what has been taken, then add to that list, once you have gathered all the information you can possibly get.
I hate to say this, but you being a renter, rarely does the owner have insurance to cover theft for their renters personal items, it is mostly left up to the renter to obtain insurance for their property. I hope I am wrong with your manager, just talking from experience.
The very best of luck.

Bill

Joey sorry to here this. He will get his one day. Also why a safe deposit box for a
collection. How can u enjoy collecting if everything is locked up.the thing is to enjoy your collection. everything can't be about monetary gain..

That is awful. My worst nightmare...I do hope you recover everything...as others have said, its a small group that'd be interested - make it known what was stolen and you have a chance of recovering some of it.