do you think this was appropriate?

Discussion in 'Coin Chat' started by OldSilver, Apr 4, 2012.

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  1. OldSilver

    OldSilver New Member

    hey everyone. now that i have been starting my jefferson nickel set i have been going to my coin shop a lot to look through their albums. today i went with about 40 dollars just to fill in some holes in the 70's and 80's. i was looking through one of the albums and i had to look at a certain proof from the 70's to see if it had a filled s or not. after i saw that it did i put my loupe in my pocket, closed the binder and called the assistant over to give me the next one. as he was walking over the owner whispered something in his ear and then pointed at the security camera and then his computer screen. i didnt want to be nosy so i just started looking in the cases. when i saw the assistant go to get me the next book, i also noticed the owner going to the front of the store. as the assistant handed me the next binder, the owner locked the door, walked up within half a foot of me and said "empty your pockets and i wont call the police" i immediatley stepped back in surprise of the accusation and emptied my pockets. nothing came out except my loupe and my cellphone and i said that i didnt take anything and the owner says "no, you did i have it on tape." i told him that i put my loupe in my pocket and since its silver it may have looked like a coin, but for nearly five minutes he threatened to call the police and kept insisting that i had taken something. i didnt know what to do accept continue saying that i didnt take anything. the assistant realized that the owner went too far and said "im sorry sir it was a mistake" i looked at the owner and he said "whatever i know you had a coin in your hand dont act foolish and stick your hand in your pocket ever again" and stomped away. i asked if he wanted me to leave and he said whatever so i continued to look at the nickels. after paying the assistant for my coins he said "im sorry a lot of dealers are just very paranoid about theft so next time keep your hands above the counter" i said "oh i dont think that will be a problem because i m not coming back" now keep in mind that i am 16, im not some little kid who doesnt know what hes doing. the coin that he accused me of "stealing" was a 2 dollar nickel so was it really necessary to lock the doors, threaten to call the police and stand in my face for ten minutes? my dad didnt think so, so he called the shop and (without cursing mind you) gave the owner a piece of his mind until the owner apologized. after i emptied my pockets and the owner saw no coins came out, wouldnt you think he would just apologie and walk away? i was a regular customer of his sad little coin shop, and now hes lost my business. i never knew that it was a punishable crime to stick your hand in your pocket. i can completely understand why a coin dealer would be suspicious if he sees a customer stick something shiny in their pocket, and i have no problem emptying them to prove my innocence but this was ridiculously blown out of proportion. i was looking at JEFFERSON NICKELS FROM THE 70'S not an album full of 09 s vdb's for crying out loud. im sorry for waisitng your time if your still reading this, i was just very taken back by this whole situation. hope you enjoyed the story hahahaha

    -Ryan
     
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  3. onejinx

    onejinx Junior Member

    I would have told him to call the cops!

    Since you didn't do anything, why not make him look like the fool.
     
  4. gbroke

    gbroke Naturally Toned

    Oh man, that sucks. Too bad he ruined it for a potential long time customer.

    I think you should call the paragraph police, since someone obviously stole yours! :)
     
  5. bradarv90

    bradarv90 Member

    I don't know how many coin shops are in the OP's area, but if there aren't a lot, like how it is for me, I would definitely not try to burn any bridges. Also, don't most coin dealers have guns in their store? I'd imagine refusing would make the situation get a lot worse a lot faster.
     
  6. Shoewrecky

    Shoewrecky Coin Hoarder

    Glad your father came and gave that dealer a piece of his mind...I dont think I would have been so nice if they did that to my son.
     
  7. ziggy9

    ziggy9 *NEC SPERNO NEC TIMEO*

    In some states what he did was the criminal act. Once he locked the door he was holding you agaist your will, also known as kidnapping.
     
  8. coinsearch

    coinsearch Member

    That is not ok. I would have had him call the police too just to show him he is acting crazy. I wouldn't have bought anything unless it was a GREAT deal. I do try to keep my hands above the counter but some times I get a phone call or something and accidentally stick my hand in my pocket.
     
  9. Searcher64

    Searcher64 Member


    The next thing that you need to buy a lanyard to put your loop on. This will keep your hands out of your pockets till it's time to pay. Some dealer are very leery? of people, but to accuse you of stealing something. Had he had called the police and they came and had searched you and found nothing, then he has opened himself up to a law suite. Even if you are young, doesn't make any difference. Stand your ground and make the person prove anything. :hail:He has lost a customer, I would never go back.:thumb:
     
  10. Hunt1

    Hunt1 Active Member

    It happens man, take it with a open mind, dont go back. Im going on 17 soon and you have to look at from their perspective. Why do cops ask you do keep your hands out of your pockets, on the steering wheel, or dont touch them? They dont know you. They dont know if you have a gun or what. Same thing with this guy, he doesnt know you...Now he went overboard when he threatened you, at the point i would have called the police myself.

    Some people are just like that...the world we live in.
     
  11. rodeoclown

    rodeoclown Dodging Bulls

    Next time, take a cell phone with you. If this ever happens again, call the police yourself. The owner or person in charge would have some nice explaining to do. Also in some states, it's not considered stealing until you actually leave the property.

    I've actually have had my hands full at stores before, not thinking I needed a cart. I'd stick items in my pockets to then take out to pay for them. There's nothing they can do to me unless I left the store without paying for them. Check your local laws.
     
  12. LostDutchman

    LostDutchman Under Staffed & Overly Motivated Supporter

    I have caught several shop lifters over the years... It's never any fun... I usually don't say anything unless I'm 100% sure there is monkey business. The last one I caught had his wife and young child with him... It was really not a fun day.

    I have also however never called it mistakenly as this guy did.
     
  13. Hobo

    Hobo Squirrel Hater

    Great minds think alike.
     
  14. cpm9ball

    cpm9ball CANNOT RE-MEMBER

    It's unfortunate that this had to happen. It's possible that the owner has had his share of thefts in the past, but that still doesn't justify his conduct once you had proven that you didn't take anything.

    Chalk this up as a learning experience. As already suggested, it might be a good idea to get a lanyard for your loupe to wear around your neck. Another thing you might also do the next time you go to any B&M is make sure you don't have any change in your pockets. Of course, it would also be a good idea to carry your cellphone with you in case something like this ever happens again.

    Chris
     
  15. Hunt1

    Hunt1 Active Member

    I agree.
     
  16. EdS

    EdS Member

    Fact is... everything up to the emptying the pockets was semi reasonable. Its private property. However, once you emptied your pockets.. and showed him no theft occured (or pointed to the album and say "your coin is there... you saw my loupe..."), then he crossed the line. At that point... I would have called the police.

    Holding a MINOR against their will, in a case like this, in many states is a worse crime than shoplifting. In some locations, a false accusation like that can also be a conisdered a crime (but would most likely become a civil case).

    Seems you ran into an arse.... and there are plenty of them.

    I would write him a letter... tell him about yourself.. about your passion... and explain why not coming in there anymore is a hardship on you, but he left you no choice because of his actions. In this day & age of young people who could care less about coins in lieu of the xbox 360.... and online sales of coins which make it very hard for the brick & mortar stores, I would think that maybe you & he might get past the situation... if he apologized and explained himself.
     
  17. Cazkaboom

    Cazkaboom One for all, all for me.

    Gee, you're a regular there? Man oh man I would give him a piece of my mind in a very well chicken scratch handwritten letter. I go to many coin shops with a loupe in my pocket and that is where it stays. So when I take it out, I put it back in with the suspicions that I am gonna get accused.

    I am not a regular at one of my local coin shops, and did that all the time. The man was very paranoid and watching my pockets, so I did him the honors and "accidentally" turned mine out just to disprove him.

    What the dealer did to you was just unethical. He for one, shouldn't have locked the door. And for two, he should not have been so rude.

    LostDutchman, I bet I know how bad it feels to catch somebody, I imagined your mindset:
    You really don't want to embarrass him in front of his family
    You really don't want to deal with the stuff after apprehending a thief
    But it is what you have gotta do. You gotta go through the hassle to get a bit of a lesson in the peoples' head that lifting is both illegal and immoral.
     
  18. CoinCast

    CoinCast Member

    I have stopped visiting dealers at coin shows for way more petty reasons than that...
    I would have been livid if he had been in my face.
     
  19. jaceravone

    jaceravone Member

    Maybe a quick letter to the editor of your local newspaper may get the owner to rethink some of his tatics.
     
  20. rickmp

    rickmp Frequently flatulent.

    Simply putting your hand in your pocket is not a crime. I would have told him to call the police. He has absolutely no right to search you, nor do you have any obligation to allow such a search.

    When the police arrive, in order for them to be able to arrest you and search your person and belongings, he must be able to tell the police what you have allegedly stolen. The police cannot take any action against you because he suspects you have stolen "something", he must know, and be able to describe specifically, what you have stolen.

    If your experience had happened to me, that dealer would be making a hefty claim with his insurance company to compensate me for my inconvenience and embarrassment, and he'd have to deal with a tremendous amount of bad publicity.
     
  21. 5dollarEdunote

    5dollarEdunote Coin Connoisseur

    I have a fear of this happening every time I look at a dealers coins, whether it be a coin show or a coin shop. I'm always worrying that if I make a particular hand movement they'll get suspicious and give me a weird look, or even worse, what happened to you.
     
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