My Civil War Items that were Stolen.

relichound

Corporal
Joined
May 17, 2007
Location
Maryland...'bout 55 miles south of Gettysburg.
I was a dealer for years at an antique shop where I sold, and displayed Civil War relics, as
well as other old time curiosities. In an old fashioned glass and wood display case I had
items that were once part of my civil war collection including some relics, and period
Civil War photos. I tried to place fair prices on them, and I would negotiate to give them
an even better price if they wanted more than one item.

One month I also had a pretty working coin silver key wind pocket watch for sale. From about 1876.
The items were sold for us by the staff while the dealers like myself were gone which was usually
the case, because I worked in another town full time. One of the clerks showed my watch to
a potential customer one day, but did not know how to show the customer how to wind, or set
the watch, so it did not sell. Soon after I showed the clerk how to operate it, and soon after it sold, and
I thanked the clerk by giving them a small bonus in cash. Otherwise it would not have sold.

Soon after one of my most expensive items also sold one day, sold by another clerk. That clerk did not
use any special knowledge to sell that item, although I was also grateful to them. I did not feel I
had to give them a bonus.

A couple weeks later I came in the shop, and I saw that all my best Civil War items were gone.
That perhaps meant that they sold, and so I checked at the counter. But they had not sold,
they were gone. Stolen. I had a police man come to the shop, and I reported it. My items were
gone, and my display case was broken, and ruined. It went into the trash.

I was later told by a relative who worked there at times, that the manager suspected one employee, of the stealing,
and although evidence was not sufficient to arrest them, the employee was fired by the manager.
Was it partly because I had not handled the matter well? Perhaps so. I never gave a clerk another
bonus after all this happened.

I never saw my relics again that were stolen, and they were not insured.
 
I was a dealer for years at an antique shop where I sold, and displayed Civil War relics, as
well as other old time curiosities. In an old fashioned glass and wood display case I had
items that were once part of my civil war collection including some relics, and period
Civil War photos. I tried to place fair prices on them, and I would negotiate to give them
an even better price if they wanted more than one item.

One month I also had a pretty working coin silver key wind pocket watch for sale. From about 1876.
The items were sold for us by the staff while the dealers like myself were gone which was usually
the case, because I worked in another town full time. One of the clerks showed my watch to
a potential customer one day, but did not know how to show the customer how to wind, or set
the watch, so it did not sell. Soon after I showed the clerk how to operate it, and soon after it sold, and
I thanked the clerk by giving them a small bonus in cash. Otherwise it would not have sold.

Soon after one of my most expensive items also sold one day, sold by another clerk. That clerk did not
use any special knowledge to sell that item, although I was also grateful to them. I did not feel I
had to give them a bonus.

A couple weeks later I came in the shop, and I saw that all my best Civil War items were gone.
That perhaps meant that they sold, and so I checked at the counter. But they had not sold,
they were gone. Stolen. I had a police man come to the shop, and I reported it. My items were
gone, and my display case was broken, and ruined. It went into the trash.

I was later told by a relative who worked there at times, that the manager suspected one employee, of the stealing,
and although evidence was not sufficient to arrest them, the employee was fired by the manager.
Was it partly because I had not handled the matter well? Perhaps so. I never gave a clerk another
bonus after all this happened.

I never saw my relics again that were stolen, and they were not insured.
Dang that stinks; can’t stand a thief...
 
There is nothing like that sinking feeling you get when you realize that you’ve been robbed. When my Mother in Law wass in hospice, and I was cleaning out their home, someone,we susect the nephew, broke in and stole a leica camera, a lavellier(jewelry) my Father in Laws watch, and his Kings Point ring. -Which was engraved on the inside with his name! FIL was a WW2 vet, a Merchant Marine when he started.

I remember the phone call, and having to compile a list of what was stolen. We never got anything back.
 
There is nothing like that sinking feeling you get when you realize that you’ve been robbed. When my Mother in Law wass in hospice, and I was cleaning out their home, someone,we susect the nephew, broke in and stole a leica camera, a lavellier(jewelry) my Father in Laws watch, and his Kings Point ring. -Which was engraved on the inside with his name! FIL was a WW2 vet, a Merchant Marine when he started.

I remember the phone call, and having to compile a list of what was stolen. We never got anything back.
That was disgusting. I am so sorry for you.
 
Sorry to hear this.

My Mom passed last September. My Father passed in late 2015. They had been to Waterford Ireland many times and quite a nice collection of crystal from there. Shortly before she died we discovered that 3 of the very largest pieces had been stolen and the remaining crystal artfully rearranged to hide the loss. Probably 2-3k stolen. We then cataloged and took photos of everything. I suspect it was one of the temporary homecare aids. I doubt her regulars would have done so, but she had 4-5 temps in the previous year or so. Its the anger, sense of loss, and knowing that you'll never get the items back...and that there will be no justice.
 
At least here in NH most antique shops have security cameras on everything. Did that shop have those going? If it did, the footage should have that. In fact, when I was in Frederick, MD last year I was at a huge antique place that had a lot of CW items and I noticed that had security cameras running on the clerks and cash register itself.
 
At least here in NH most antique shops have security cameras on everything. Did that shop have those going? If it did, the footage should have that. In fact, when I was in Frederick, MD last year I was at a huge antique place that had a lot of CW items and I noticed that had security cameras running on the clerks and cash register itself.
This shop did have some security cameras, but it was a large shop, and they only had one or two. My booth
had no nearby cameras. I hope that the right person was fired for this stealing. After this I did not bring in Civil War items
to this shop again, and I told people why also!
 
Sorry to hear this.

My Mom passed last September. My Father passed in late 2015. They had been to Waterford Ireland many times and quite a nice collection of crystal from there. Shortly before she died we discovered that 3 of the very largest pieces had been stolen and the remaining crystal artfully rearranged to hide the loss. Probably 2-3k stolen. We then cataloged and took photos of everything. I suspect it was one of the temporary homecare aids. I doubt her regulars would have done so, but she had 4-5 temps in the previous year or so. Its the anger, sense of loss, and knowing that you'll never get the items back...and that there will be no justice.
I am sorry for what happened to the crystal. That was very wrong!
 
Very sorry to hear of your losses. Did you give all descriptive info to the police to check for them to keep a check on any pawn shops?
Thanks. As for the crystal. No. We had no way of knowing how long ago it could have occurred...it could have been 2 weeks or 10 months before. And we did not have good pictures but hazy recollections. Sorry to in anyway hijack the thread Relichound.
 
One more thing. A few days after my Civil War items were missing I entered the shop and
was greeted by a sales clerk. I told her that if she knew who the thief was that she should tell me
so I could tell the police. I was more joking than serious, but she did not say a word, and from
the way she looked...I think that perhaps she did know more about who did it than she let on.
I am sorry also for all the others who wrote about things stolen from them.
 
It's one of those threads you wish you didn't read but really had to because it's important to someone. And I can't put my finger on why relics are important but they are too. I don't know- pieces of history someone brings to light after all those years? Like I said, tough to put my finger on.

That's awful. Helping yourself to someone else's stuff is cruddy, I don't care if it's a quarter or a car. Someone posted earlier about keeping an eye peeled on Ebay, etc.? Guessing they'd be right? If it's not intrusive, what's missing please? You couldn't do better than maybe ask a bunch of Civil War buffs to keep an eye open for one turning up, if that's not infringing on forum rules? You said it was all your best items which means the crudbucket knows exactly what to go for, things collectors would love. It doesn't seem a long shot they'd be advertised somewhere at some point?

Admit to a soft spot for genuine relic hounds. Hysterically bought genyoooine minie balls ( Ebay..... ) years ago, ( blond here ), joined here, announced it. Only got laughed at a LITTLE by the pros before someone kindly explained they'd been made in a basement, circa 1990 or so.
 
Another earlier time I was set up at a Civil War show in Northern Virginia, and the dealer right next to me paid some
12 year old boy scouts to watch his wares while he went out to see what the others had for sale. But they played a card game
the whole time, while next door I was trying to sell my items. When he came back...someone had made off with his most expensive item, which he was asking about 1500 for. He called the police in, but as far as I know it was never found. Shows are like that. I watched my things like a hawk, and locked up my cases even when I had to be gone for only 2 minutes. Even so, I was fortunate to have never lost anything at a show. Not that I recall anyway!
 
I had my father's conductor hat from Southern Pacific stolen. It was very sentimental to me. I know how you feel. I hate a thief, liar!!!
It makes you not want to trust anyone. My own brother, now deceased ripped my deceased husband off of all his deer hunting rifles, and a ring that my father had given him on our wedding day. I cried for the longest time. My blessed now deceased husband never said anything to me. So sorry for your loss!!!
 
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