Post your Lost & Stolen coins thread

Glad you’re getting them back

 

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Great news!
Another story: Gerry Fortin reported a 3$ gold piece stole from a USPS express mail package on its way to a client in Cali. All the client got was the empty box, helpfully shrink wrapped by the ever courteous USPS.

1856 PCGS AU55 CAC #32898897 G$3

 

Link to the blog since I couldn't post the pics: scroll down a ways to find the coin.
https://www.seateddimevarieties.com/DailyBlog.htm

 

I haven’t heard a word about the criminal investigation. I thought it was suspicious that the USPS dropped the case so quickly and dumped it on the Canadian Police. Honestly I’m a little embarrassed to ask the Canadian police for an update on the criminal side. I don’t even know if I’m allowed to ask. I also suspect that this is “small potatoes” compared to the other crimes they’re responsible for investigating.

 

What exactly are they supposed to do in a foreign country they have no authority in?

Of course you can, whether you get an answer is a different story

 

I assumed they would look into where it went missing in the US and at least check cameras. Maybe they did and I just never heard anything. But they closed it so fast it just seemed like they didn’t want to dig for too long. But what do I know?

 

They would have done that when the lost item case was opened up which may or may not have found something, theres a ton of places it can go missing with no cameras while in route. Once it left the country through its up to that country to start working it backwards to figure out what happened

 

I am still a bit fuzzy on why the Canadian Postal Service got involved, or did I read it wrong? If the Canadian auction firm bought a U.S. undeliverable mail at an auction, I would think they (USPS) would want to know why YOUR package was in with it and what made it "undeliverable."

 

The Canadian Postal Service was never involved. Only the USPS and then the Canadian Police. My package of coins was being sent from VA to NJ and disappeared. Then the coins were found 5 months later at an auction in Canada. And I have zero information on how it got there or why it wasn’t returned to the United States since, by law, lost or undeliverable US Mail cannot be sold or auctioned outside of the US. It would have to be returned to the United States Postal Service in the country of origin.

 

US laws have no barring outside of the US. It's up to other countries whether or not they want to honor it. It's also incredibly easy to just open the box and throw it away at that point.

Unfortunately probably will never know how it ended up there as it probably passed through several hands on the way

 

Actually the USPS case was open twice. Once as a lost package on September 3rd which was closed after a couple weeks when they could not find it. (I asked for photos of the label and package at each scan, which they do automatically at each facility and I’ve gotten before with other items, but they never produced them) And a new case was opened again February 7th when the coins were found in Canada. I was assigned a USPS inspector that time who communicated with me thru phone and email for about a week along with Detective Hackenbrook of the Canadian Police and a Local Detective here in Richmond VA (where the package was last scanned) who was helping coordinate now that a larceny case was opened. But as I said, the USPS Inspector closed the case quickly saying he didn’t get any new information and that the Canadian Police were now the investigating body. That’s fine. I just felt like they could have left it open and see if the Canadian police found anything investigating the chain of theft so they could see if it pointed to anyone working for the USPS. But they didn’t get any info after a couple weeks so they just closed the case. Perhaps that’s normal operating procedures, though.

 

It is and the USPS police have a big workload. Realistically the Canadian police arent going to trace down the chain of theft much at all anyways. All they will care about is if it impacts something in their country, they couldn't care less if something gets stolen in another country unless its drugs or some sort of weapon. If they find some sort of crime ring from your coins theyd keep going with it otherwise theyre putting little to no effort into your coins.

 

Well the Canadian police observed my police report for larceny and the seized the coins from the auctioneer. So there was some cooperation, as they honored the police report of theft in the U.S. I suspect they were waiting to see what happened in the courts before proceeding with the investigation, since (from what I was told by Det. Hackenbrook and my lawyer), if the auctioneer continued with the contestation, he would have to provide proof that he obtained them legally, which could mean his source(s) for buying these undeliverable mail lots. (Incidentally I had Canadian law on my side that stated “lost mail that was not Canadian has to be returned to the country of origin”). Additionally, as I stated before, the auctioneer would be opening himself up to prosecution if he contested. And even if he won the coins and I appealed in criminal court (which would’ve cost me minimum $10,000 according to my lawyer), I could’ve sued to hold him criminally liable in the theft and also sued him for my court costs.
Anyway, I don’t think they investigated any potential ring of theft since they waited 9 months for the court’s decision, and the auctioneer ended up not contesting at all beyond his initial threat to do so when Det. Hackenbrook seized them. (The Detective told me on the phone that when he seized the coins, the auctioneer put up a fuss and he told him, “Well, too f#{€!% bad for you, eh?”) LOL! And now that I’ve won, there is no chance that they’ll look into it anymore. So in the end the USPS Investigator rightly closed the case months ago for their purposes since there was never a real investigation. Maybe if I had had $4 Million in coins stolen/lost and then found at auction in another country, they would’ve looked a little harder. But $10,455?…. Nah. Small potatoes.

 

I've finally recovered my stolen coins! It's a Christmas miracle! Lol

 

I am so happy to hear your good news. Just think of how many things had to go your way (other than them loosing your coins). They were found and BEFORE they were auctioned off, as you may have never recovered them, so kudos to the authorities that acted on this.

 

I'm delighted for you!

 

That’s great you got them back

 

It’s good news in my book. I would be more pleased if the thief was behind bars. People like that need a jury made up of CT members.

 

Wonderful news

 

Great news on the coins, but I question why US and Canadian Customs don't have a part in the investigation of stolen property crossing borders.