Treasure Hunt by Peter Rexford

I can't say I know a lot about the criminal mind because I've never aspired (or lowered myself) to be one. I do know that most — at least the ones we hear about in the news — don't seem to think things through real well.

Jay Leno has a field day with his regular accounts about "stupid criminals." Those are the ones that are destined to get caught. I suppose Bernie Madoff might fall into that category considering that no "Ponzi" scheme I've ever heard of succeeded. He certainly orchestrated the largest and most devastating one to both individuals and charitable organizations.

I am astounded by the lesser criminals who throw complete caution to the wind and just seize the moment of opportunity. That happened some years back on a local golf course. A good friend of mine was teeing off with a foursome. He hit his ball and stepped back to let another player do the same. Just then, a young man came screaming across their tee box driving the retrofitted cart that picks up golf balls on the driving range.

A few moments after he went by, two other golf carts came wheeling up. Riding in them was the golf pro and some other club officials. They asked my friend and his guests if they had seen the "golf ball picker-upper" drive by. They pointed toward the course entrance that went out onto a busy road. The men in the two carts sped off in hot pursuit.

Obviously, the young man had stolen the driving range cart. The question is, what in the world was he going to do with it? It's not like there are places you can fence something like that. Moreover, very few establishments need such a device. And, if they did, it would be easy to identify.

I think of that when rare collectibles are stolen. It might be a painting or an autographed letter by a noted statesmen or famous actor. I suppose it all goes back to the golf ball picker-upper. What are they going to do with it?

For a legitimate owner, a rare or unique item can be a source of pleasure and pride to put on display. However, if stolen, not only is the joy fleeting, you also can't really show it to anyone for fear of getting turned in.

Many coin and stamp dealers have firsthand knowledge of such instances.

Over the years, countless reports of rare items being stolen from them have been logged. A large amount of those are when the dealers attend large shows or conventions. Occasionally, they are robbed in parking lots or their hotel rooms are burglarized. The thing is, most every rare stamp or coin is like a fingerprint. Especially with high-resolution photography and a sophisticated network among other dealers and collectors, the stolen items are easily identifiable and all but worthless to the thieves.

Such an incident took place in 2001. A Florida coin collector/researcher was staying at a motel in Indiana. He had a very rare collection of error coins — those produced by the U.S. Mint with obvious production mistakes. Each was clearly unique, including a "Walking Liberty" half dollar that had accidentally been struck onto a planchet intended for a lowly nickel — a size roughly half of what it should be. Most of the design on the coin was missing because of the small planchet. Talk about obvious. It and others taken were the only know examples ever found, aka unique.

Now, dial the clock forward eight years. Someone decided it was time to try to cash in the coins. The seller contacted dealers affiliated with the Professional Numismatists Guild (PNG). The PNG is an organization comprised of dealers who adhere to a strict code of ethics.

That dealer recognized the coins to be not only desirable but probably unique. After a little investigation, he recognized the coins were from the hoard. Busted! Of the 44 stolen coins, a dozen have now been recovered and returned. The others may also soon find their way home.

Invariably, the original crime was not one of happenstance but premeditated. The thieves surely watched their target, cased the location and made their move. They just didn't think through what to do once they grabbed the loot. That's too bad. The value of any one of those error coins is a small fortune — certainly felony territory.

In short, The Eagles put it pretty well in their song, "New York Minute," "Lying here in the darkness, I hear the sirens wail. Somebody's going to emergency … somebody's going to jail." Not much gray area there.

Editor's Note: A JPEG visual of the unique stolen and retrieved Walking Liberty half dollar error coin has been sent with this column.

To find out more about Peter Rexford and to read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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