Stolen Awards.

[Mahdi]

Art,

I actually like this idea better than having them both integrated... It is both simpler to program and more convenient to use this way (I think)... Let me know if I can help in any way.

Mahdi

[Art]

Mahdi,

I'm glad I gave a few weeks for the bidding on the project. It has helped me think about how best to integrate some features. I agree regarding the membership programming. I'm hoping that by eliminating this requirement it will allow me to add the stolen item feature maybe some other things. Everyone can help by adding all their serial numbers and by encouraging people to join the forum to get access to the database..without more and more people, it won't grow.

Art

[scook17]

I just happened to go to DMITRY ****** Coins & Medals at ***Removed by moderator*** and he has the following message displayed, along with a list of the stolen medals:

Due to the unprecedented armed robbery on August 8th, 2002, from our New York City location, many items had been stolen, that are currently listed on our website. The list of stolen items is below, and will be growing as we discover more missing material. If any of these ever show up in your view, please CONTACT US, or the police directly, and help us recover the items and prosecute the thieves, since this is our property, and solely belongs to us. Most, if not all of the items below are uniquely identifiable, once spotted, one can be sure that they are from this robbery.
Please distribute this list and/or let collectors know about this, so if they're offered items from this list for sale, they don't become victims, too, since all of these items are "hot" and searched for, plus they're our property and will be confiscated without reimbursment.
There is a substantial reward offered for the information leading to full or partial recovery of stolen goods, please call or email for details.

Direct Police contact:
Detective Joe Racicot
New York City Police, Precinct # 61
2575 Coney Island Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11229
1-718-627-6620

[Nota Bene]

Gentlemen,

He was robbed by four masked men with guns and beaten. I don't think the robbers would be so stupid to sell those items. Most likely they will be melted and sold as gold/silver scrap, and some priceless Russian coins and awards will be lost forever!

Alexei

[Tal Inbar]

AMAZING!

As a collector, I think this is a disaster for our hobby, as well as for Dmitry personaly. I think we could make an exception and put a link here to his site - I am sure that he is out of buisiness for a long time.

I must say, Alexei, that I am positive that the robbery was NOT for the gold, I am convinced that the items WILL find their way to Russia, and that the robbery was ordered (by another dealler??? )


It is true, that the collectors community will most likely never see those items again.

Tal

[scook17]

I posted the link because it listed the awards stolen with photos of each, the idea being to let anyone know these were stolen if they were offered them. The list of stolen medals/orders is as follows:

HERO OF SOVIET UNION STAR: S/N# 606 (type 1).
HERO OF SOCIALIST LABOR STAR: S/N# 16,705.
PERSONAL GROUP OF VICE-ADMIRAL PHILIPENKO.
PERSONAL GROUP OF L-COLONEL POCHUKALIN.
PERSONAL GROUP OF CAPITAN LEIKOV.
PERSONAL GROUP OF MAJOR ANTONOV.

PERSONAL GROUP OF YABLOKOV.
Included ORDERS OF SUVOROV 3cl. #8309, KUTUXOV 3cl. #1511, NEVSKY #4246, plus more...

RED BANNER OF LABOR OF UKRAINE: S/N# 105.
SOVIET BUKHARA MEDAL.
ORDER OF GLORY I CLASS (GOLD): S/N #859.
ORDER OF GLORY I CLASS (GOLD): S/N #3156.
ORDER OF GLORY I CLASS (GOLD): S/N #1542.
ORDER OF GLORY II CLASS (BORDER REVERSE): S/N #190.
ORDER OF GLORY III CLASS (BORDER REVERSE): S/N #293.
ORDER OF St.CATHERINE.

ORDER OF LENIN w/Document: S/N # 48391. Also included Red Banner: S/N #152821.

ORDER OF B.KHMELNITSKY III CL. w/Document: S/N #1789.Also included Patriotic War I CLASS (GOLD): S/N #185536.

ORDER OF KUTUZOV III CL. w/Document: S/N #7409
SUPREME DEPUTY GROUP of Oksenenko M.M.
SUPREME DEPUTY GROUP of Vasil'chenko V.A.
MONGOLIAN ORDER FOR MILITARY VALOR.

I doubt very much these were stolen for their gold content, unless it was some opportunistic type robbery. I suspect these, quite rare, orders and medals will find their way onto the market, and may even go back to Russia, where they could be easily sold.

He didn't say if records of his clients were also taken. If this was an organized and planned robbery, to obtain rare soviet medals/orders, then I'd be a little concerned. He would deal with various dealers in Russia all the time, so his address would have been well known. If anyone wanted to steal to order, as I'm sure happens in Russia, then he would be a prime target.

Kind Regards,
Shane Cook.

[Tal Inbar]

Look like it. As I mentioned, the awards are rare, and this is like robbery of a Picaso paint from the Met. You can't sell it, UNLESSS it will go to a place that won't report it. Or, a collector ordered the robbery.

It is VERY sad, and alarming.

[Nota Bene]

Tal,

Ouch! After looking at the list I totally agree with you. It was definately a planned robbery. ****** mentiones that he is still in business, so I must assume they didn't take the cheap stuff, and just went for the best.

Alexei

[Art]

If he's insured, he shouldn't have a problem financially..IF he was insured.

Art

[Eugene]

He was not...