My friend owns a arcade. He told me that every so often, they will get a bunch of really old quarters (his machines do not use tokens), even standing liberties. Though his employees want to keep them, he has them put them aside because he knows that a really POed father would be in within a few days to claim them. He gives them back (at face). Same thing.....kid knows where Dad has a coin collection and he really wants to play that pinball machine so he steals it... I was REALLY impressed when he told me that story. Many people would keep those coins and not give them back.
My guess is the coins the kids stole in the original post are not a coin collection but rather common coins saved out of circulation. I bet the "$600 to $700 worth of coins" is the face value.
I used to work in a 7/11 graveyard shift. One morning, about 6 a.m., two teen boys came in and bought a bunch of candy and magazines and paid for them with brand new 1950's and 60's half dollars. I don't remember exactly what they were, since at the time I was not interested in collecting. I told my boss it was sort of suspicious. She followed the kids home in her car, called the police and told them about it. They contacted the kids' grandparents -- the house the kids were followed to -- and sure nuff: The coin collection had been dumped out of the holders and spent. We gave them back for face value. What else could we do? Those kids got a big whatfor, I'm sure.
