Swedish Coins Returned After 11 Years.

From submission by David Gerus from Vancouver Sun, Sat., 8 October 2005.

Sometimes it doesn't pay to be in illegal possession of truly rare coins – they tend to have pedigrees. That was the downfall of a lightfingered individual in Vancouver last fall, even after 11 years had passed! Vancouver Sun:

“A 63-year-old Langley man was arrested by West Vancouver police during an undercover sting operation that recovered five extremely rare Swedish gold coins from the 17 th and 18 th century that were stolen in West Vancouver more than a decade ago.

“The coins were stolen in 1994 when an absent-minded West Vancouver coin collector left his briefcase containing the coins at an Ambleside clothing store.

“By the time the man returned to the store, his briefcase was gone. The five gold coins are worth an estimated $165,000, police said Thursday.

Christina. Gold ducat, 1646 (Riga).

The article goes on to tell us that the five coins in question were: (1) Kristina, 5-ducat, 1 7 35 (sic: 1 6 35) from Riga – believed unique; (2) Kristina, 3-ducat, 1643 from Riga – also believed unique; (3) Kristina, ducat, 1646 from Riga; (4) Gustav II Adolfus, ducat, 1632 and (5) Karl XII, ducat, 1701.

On 27 Sept. 2005, a Vancouver man e-mailed the Royal Coin Cabinet in Sweden – a coin museum that is part of the Museum of National Antiquities – with a view to sell the coins. With only a little checking, the museum found the coins in question listed as stolen and the previous owner's name on file. The museum contacted the West Vancouver owner who then contacted the police.

A sting operation was set up whereby the museum e-mailed the present “holder” of the coins, telling him that they had a representative in Vancouver who would examine the coins and assess their value. An undercover police officer, posing as a local coin expert, then set up a meeting with the seller at the Pan Pacific Hotel on Thursday night, Oct. 6. Once the authenticity of the coins was confirmed, a police team moved in, arrested the man and recovered the coins.

The suspect was later released on a promise to appear in court but at the time of the writing, had not been charged – even though the Crown counsel recommended a charge of possession of stolen property over $5000. Investigators were unable to establish how the man came into possession of the coins or where they have been for 11 years. The suspect maintained he was representing a client whose name was not revealed. The owner "was overjoyed to get his treasures back” but no other details are available.

Wayne Jacobs is a numismatic expert. Currently secretary and editor of the "Mid-Island Coin Club Numismatic Journal"of Nanaimo, Vancouver Island , British Columbia, he is the award winning author of numerous articles. The MICC journal are hosted here: MICC webpages Copyright 2006 Wayne Jacobs. This article may be reprinted freely for non commercial purpose only if the resource box is left intact, linking back to us.