Home invasions for rare coins on rise, collectors say
GONZALES — On Dec. 1, two masked men broke into a Richmond, Texas, home, waited for the family members to return, tied them up and put a gun in a 12-year-old’s mouth to make her father say where his valuables were, Texas authorities said.
The men got away with $500,000 in precious metals and cash from the Houston-area family, as well as the family’s sport utility vehicle, authorities said.
The father is in the gold exchange business, Maj. Jerry Clements of the Fort Bend County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office, confirmed.
The home invasion — still unsolved — is one of many frauds, robberies and even some killings that Doug Davis, founder of the Numismatic Crime Information Center, is tracking.
Davis, a Texas policeman who retired after 34 years of service, said he posts summaries of the crimes on his website to notify other dealers and collectors in hopes of getting law enforcement authorities crucial tips.
One of the latest to show up on Davis’ site is the Feb. 18 triple-homicide case in Ascension Parish. A husband, wife and her adult son had their throats slashed in the couple’s Gonzales-area house on Babin Road and the husband’s collection of coins was gone, sheriff’s deputies have said.
Davis, 59, who was chief of the Pantego, Texas, Police Department for two decades, said precious metals, jewelry and other valuables have gained attention from criminals in the down economy of the past few years and as the values of precious metals have risen on commodities markets.
While he said there are hundreds of robberies and frauds involving coins and precious metals, he said horrific crimes such as the Gonzales robbery-killings or the robbery of the family in the Houston area are getting coin enthusiasts’ attention.
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The men got away with $500,000 in precious metals and cash from the Houston-area family, as well as the family’s sport utility vehicle, authorities said.
The father is in the gold exchange business, Maj. Jerry Clements of the Fort Bend County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office, confirmed.
The home invasion — still unsolved — is one of many frauds, robberies and even some killings that Doug Davis, founder of the Numismatic Crime Information Center, is tracking.
Davis, a Texas policeman who retired after 34 years of service, said he posts summaries of the crimes on his website to notify other dealers and collectors in hopes of getting law enforcement authorities crucial tips.
One of the latest to show up on Davis’ site is the Feb. 18 triple-homicide case in Ascension Parish. A husband, wife and her adult son had their throats slashed in the couple’s Gonzales-area house on Babin Road and the husband’s collection of coins was gone, sheriff’s deputies have said.
Davis, 59, who was chief of the Pantego, Texas, Police Department for two decades, said precious metals, jewelry and other valuables have gained attention from criminals in the down economy of the past few years and as the values of precious metals have risen on commodities markets.
While he said there are hundreds of robberies and frauds involving coins and precious metals, he said horrific crimes such as the Gonzales robbery-killings or the robbery of the family in the Houston area are getting coin enthusiasts’ attention.
Read more
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