Another bad apple at the USPS . . .

Discussion in 'Coin Chat' started by ToughCOINS, Mar 27, 2019.

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  1. ToughCOINS

    ToughCOINS Dealer Member Moderator

    This just in . . .




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    USPS - Stolen Coins




    The following coins were sent by Express Mail and went as far as a Post

    Office sorting location in Chicago. After a week and a half, it finally

    moved on and was delivered with USPS tape over the opening and with the

    coins having been taken out of the inner box and re-taped.


    Stolen


    Raw coins


    1798/7 $10.00 AU

    1805 $5.00 AU

    1807 $5.00 AU



    If anyone has information contact:


    Doug Davis

    817-723-7231

    Doug@numismaticcrimes.org
     
    ToughCOINS, Mar 27, 2019
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  3. calcol

    calcol Supporter! Supporter

    Best Answer
    You've mentioned this before, and it deserves more emphasis. A great advantage of private insurance is that when you ship a package, you put a big fat ZERO in the value slot on the form. Insurance companies (at least mine) make this a condition for the package to be covered.

    With a stated value of zip, larceny minded employees of USPS or other carriers aren't going to give it a second look unless you give clues. Be careful what you say to the clerk. They aren't supposed to ask what's in the package other than going the through the litany of forbidden and special items. If they should ask specifically, say "business papers", which won't be a lie because you will have included some correspondence too. Destination and return addresses should not indicate coins, precious metals, collectibles, grading, etc.

    Be careful about your choice of shipping box. Carrier-supplied boxes are fine and so are plain boxes. Think twice about re-using boxes that originally carried merchandise. An Amazon, Dell, Samsung, Apple, etc. logo on a box will get the attention of thieves. Another clue would be a dense package (high weight for the volume). If you're going to ship 20 gold Eagles, put them in a big box! It'll cost a little more, but carrier employees won't have precious thoughts when they lift it.

    I would guess the chances of a package being x-rayed are pretty slim; the daily volume is too large. Chances are likely increased if it's from certain zip codes or destined for certain zip codes. Send something to a government office in DC or a military base, and it's likely to be x-rayed. Some sorting facilities may use automated sniffers for explosives or drugs. If one of these raises an alarm, the package will be x-rayed and may be opened. Don't reuse boxes that formerly contained chemicals, medicine, fireworks or ammo. The x-ray machines are digital, and the digital images will be kept for a while.

    When feasible, ship smart. Ideally, the only ones who should have a clue about what's in the box are you, your insurer and the recipient.

    Cal
     
    calcol, Mar 28, 2019
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  4. Randy Abercrombie

    Randy Abercrombie Supporter! Supporter

    There is a special place for thieves and liars. And I would love to help them get there.
     
    Randy Abercrombie, Mar 27, 2019
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  5. Michael K

    Michael K Well-Known Member

    Insurance?
    Not that that will get the coins back, just asking.
     
    Michael K, Mar 27, 2019
    #3 + Quote Reply
  6. TypeCoin971793

    TypeCoin971793 Just a random guy on the internet

    I just had a meteorite stolen from a package in transit, much the same way these coins were stolen. They did not pass through AZ by chance, did they?
     
    TypeCoin971793, Mar 27, 2019
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  7. Stevearino

    Stevearino Well-Known Member

    That really sucks. Trust is something so important in our lives. When it is broken I feel violated, even though this man's experience doesn't directly affect me. What the heck was the thief thinking? He/she could just as well have tossed the package in the trash.

    Maybe we'll be hiring couriers for the high-end stuff in the future?

    Steve
     
    Stevearino, Mar 27, 2019
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  8. cpm9ball

    cpm9ball CANNOT RE-MEMBER

    Maybe the USPS should invest in Body Cams for all employees.

    Chris
     
    cpm9ball, Mar 27, 2019
    #6 + Quote Reply
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  9. TypeCoin971793

    TypeCoin971793 Just a random guy on the internet

    If someone bought $30000 in coins from me, I would factor into my costs to hand-deliver them to the buyer
     
    TypeCoin971793, Mar 27, 2019
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  10. Sholom

    Sholom retired...

    Kind of a tangent, but . . . there exist raw coins from 1805, 1807 that are worth only $5 in AU condition?

    What am I missing?
     
    Sholom, Mar 27, 2019
    #8 + Quote Reply
  11. CoinBlazer

    CoinBlazer Numismatic Enthusiast

    No $5 and $10 Gold Coins I think
     
    CoinBlazer, Mar 27, 2019
    #9 + Quote Reply
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  12. T-roy W

    T-roy W New Member

    Does Express mail allow coins, money and bullion to be insured? I thought those types of items were not covered by insurance.

    I think that with registered packages, the person who handles the package scans and their ID is attached to the movement of the package.

    I ship all my valuables registered mail. Though I once received a registered package 10 years ago that was opened and I did not sign for it.

    USPS sucked in getting this resolved my I also made many errors in how I handled the opened package.

    lots of lessons learned from that experience
     
    T-roy W, Mar 27, 2019
    #10 + Quote Reply
  13. Stevearino

    Stevearino Well-Known Member

    Stevearino, Mar 27, 2019
    #11 + Quote Reply
  14. CoinCorgi

    CoinCorgi Tell your dog I said hi!

    AU=Gold
     
    CoinCorgi, Mar 27, 2019
    #12 + Quote Reply
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  15. Santinidollar

    Santinidollar Supporter! Supporter

    Insurance — whether it exists or not —probably is a sick justification for a lot of thefts.
     
    Santinidollar, Mar 27, 2019
    #13 + Quote Reply
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  16. LaCointessa

    LaCointessa Well-Known Member

    don't start me. i'm still rather sick about what i lost in the US Mail...priority and also express (over night - supposedly) delivery.
     
    LaCointessa, Mar 27, 2019
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  17. ToughCOINS

    ToughCOINS Dealer Member Moderator

    I imagine the sender has insurance, but there are still damages on two counts . . . (1) a deductible will come out of the sender's pocket and (2) the intended recipient must regroup and invest more time in locating and arranging to acquire those coins from elsewhere.
     
    ToughCOINS, Mar 27, 2019
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  18. ToughCOINS

    ToughCOINS Dealer Member Moderator

    Insurance, being an outward indicator of value, draws the eyes of less than honorable mail handlers / carriers. We'd all be far better off to purchase insurance from someone other than the shipping entity so that the mailpiece bears no indication of value.
     
    ToughCOINS, Mar 27, 2019
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  19. LaCointessa

    LaCointessa Well-Known Member

    And any business goodwill between the seller and buyer may be forever negatively affected.
     
    LaCointessa, Mar 27, 2019
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  20. LaCointessa

    LaCointessa Well-Known Member

    Even when i did not insure because priority mail automatically insures up to a certain amount, coins were stolen. I think there is a way for USPS employees to scan packages and see the outline of roundish flattish thin metal objects inside. I wouldn't send coins again through USPS or even UPS.
     
    LaCointessa, Mar 27, 2019
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  21. Randy Abercrombie

    Randy Abercrombie Supporter! Supporter

    I would bet they have the ability to X-ray packages. These days it would be a security precaution I would think.
     
    Randy Abercrombie, Mar 27, 2019
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  22. ToughCOINS

    ToughCOINS Dealer Member Moderator


    Agreed, however I doubt they would x-ray any more packages than they need to, based on certain criteria. I don't think they have the manpower (okay . . . peoplepower) to scan every package that goes by. I'm guessing they base their selection of what must be x-rayed on dimensions and / or weight.
     
    Last edited: Mar 27, 2019
    ToughCOINS, Mar 27, 2019
    #20 + Quote Reply
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