Griffinroydonald Posted October 27, 2007 Share #1 Posted October 27, 2007 I just wanted to let everyone know that I have had a really bad breakin and have lost an estimated 50 soldiers groupings. These were complete mint sets assembled right out of the book. Every thing taken Was a Mint example of Every uniform type issued from 1910 to 1951. All groupings were complete with all the fieldgear, headgear, footwear and personal items. This includes Army, Navy, AAC and USMC. Also taken were WW2 German and Japanese soldiers complete and I mean complete. Be alert if offered a great price on a U-haul Full of beautiful stuff. Some gear is marked with an ink stamp - Thank you Donnie Griffin 704-739-4138 home 704-734-7034 cell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ww2vault Posted October 27, 2007 Share #2 Posted October 27, 2007 Oh man, that sucks big time. I sure hope the cops catch those jerks and let you give them a piece of your mind. Actually lets pray the cops find them before you do, heh. Were you home when the break in occurred? How many people where you live know about your militaria collection? Good luck with getting all of your groupings back, still grouped! - Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Hudson Posted October 27, 2007 Share #3 Posted October 27, 2007 What part of the country was this and do you have some photos you could post of some of the more unique pieces? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CNY Militaria Posted October 27, 2007 Share #4 Posted October 27, 2007 You may want to post photos or a specific list of items so that if someone is offered such items, it will ring a bell. I hope this works out for you, I can't imagine how hard this would be for me! Justin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Costa Posted October 27, 2007 Share #5 Posted October 27, 2007 thats one reason why not to let the wrong people see what you have in your house. even friends talk. example--- re-evaluation of properties. stranger comes in the house and looks in ever room. word gets out and bang you're hit. if all the stuff was on dummies, they needed a truck to haul it out. some one talked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brig Posted October 27, 2007 Share #6 Posted October 27, 2007 I agree, you need to at least give us the state you're in and a list of items lost, details if possibly (serial numbers, etc) so we can keep an eye out for you at shows, etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobgee Posted October 27, 2007 Share #7 Posted October 27, 2007 Area Code 704 is in Western North Carolina Bobgee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ww2vault Posted October 27, 2007 Share #8 Posted October 27, 2007 He is located in Kings Mountain, North Carolina. He posted it under the Introduction thread. Some what worrisom, it's in the same state as me..... http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/ind...?showtopic=9994 - Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brig Posted October 27, 2007 Share #9 Posted October 27, 2007 I, too, am in NC. I'll keep an eye out at shows and dealers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pconrad02 Posted October 27, 2007 Share #10 Posted October 27, 2007 Any way to post the names on any of the groups? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nkomo Posted October 27, 2007 Share #11 Posted October 27, 2007 Wow! Taking 50 full uniforms. That is odd. Usually burglars take items like tv's. computers, cash, etc. Basically, stuff they can turn a quick buck on at local pawn shops or flea markets. This doesn't seem to fit the typical activity of a common thief. It would almost seem that the thief/thieves had a buyer pre-arranged. Please let us know what happens and pictures would certainly help in identifying the items. Arch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgawne Posted October 27, 2007 Share #12 Posted October 27, 2007 I bet they went out of state, probably robbery for hire- would not be surprised if they are on their way to Japan or someplace. You said they had a stamped mamking? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brig Posted October 27, 2007 Share #13 Posted October 27, 2007 when I get my own place, my security system's going to include a dog that's been through Patrol School and an AR-15...hope he's nabbed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Robinson Posted October 27, 2007 Share #14 Posted October 27, 2007 The Atlanta International Militaria show is coming first weekend in November. Wouldn't surprise me if some of the items were offered for sale there. Just a short drive south on I-85 from where it was stolen, Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgtdorango Posted October 27, 2007 Share #15 Posted October 27, 2007 Keep an eye on ebay too.....bastards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88thcollector Posted October 27, 2007 Share #16 Posted October 27, 2007 I'll check the raleigh flea market but they probably are now someone else's collection. i doubt if they show up. Atlanta maybe, also, a lot of stuff goes to Brimfield. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeeper704 Posted October 27, 2007 Share #17 Posted October 27, 2007 It would be easier for us if we know what to look for. So if possible give description and names of these groupings together with photos. That way, we can report if we see something of your stolen goods. I sure hope they catch those creeps (I'm pretty sure it is not the work of one person). Erwin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PATCHRAT Posted October 28, 2007 Share #18 Posted October 28, 2007 i'll be at the ATLANTA show. please let use know what to look for. I may be in jail with the guy(s) if I run into them. TOM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrei Posted October 28, 2007 Share #19 Posted October 28, 2007 Unfortunately for Donnie, this breaking in of his house looks to have been prepaired in advance. No burglar breaks in a place and go away with 50 complete uniform sets without being informed of what they will find. I doubt that Donnie's items would be find in the forthcoming militaria shows of the area. Hope the bastards will be catched soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrapneldude Posted October 28, 2007 Share #20 Posted October 28, 2007 I don't suppose you had collectors' insurance on them. Don't know much about it, but that seems like a very good idea to me. I keep a pretty up to date computerized list of stuff in my collection. Then again, if someone makes off with the computer, I'm boned anyhow...but they gotta get through me and the shotgun first! Sounds too much like an "inside job" -- I can't see your average crackhead burglar busting in and seeing a bunch of military uniforms and saying "WOW! I can sell these and buy like 20 kilos of crack!" Like the others said -- they'd go for the electronics and whatnot. Someone knew what you had in there. Good luck catching these rat bastards, and I'm very sorry this happened to you. If we happen to see some dealer peddling these, once we have a complete list of what was stolen, is it legal to "confiscate" them on the spot? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwb123 Posted October 28, 2007 Share #21 Posted October 28, 2007 There was a ring of thieves that was targeting militaria collectors in the central part of the country about 15 years ago. They finally got caught in my home town of Plano TX. They would read collectors journals and also visit shows and talk to collectors to see who had what. These guys were sophisticated enough to even hire a small plane to overfly the house to get a view of where they were going. They also cased out burglar alarm systems. They typically struck when the collector was not home, including when they were out of town for a show! They typically targeted German collectors, as that is where the high dollar items were back then. But a fair number of US items were stolen as well. To dispose of the items, they would show up at a flea market about 50 miles away. They'd be there for a weekend at a time and put the stuff out for about a third of what it was worth, along with a story about the stuff being their veteran uncle's war souvenirs. Local collectors would think they had struck the mother lode and buy it up as fast as they could, thinking they had gotten one over on the dealer. In general, they avoided shows hoping to avoid educated collectors who might recognize the collection as stolen. They also avoided Manion's and mail order auctions that existed at the time because they did not want to reveal an address or wait the six weeks for a pay out. With eBay and PayPal, you might see them try to sell on-line with a quicker turn around time. But this would still require registering an address. As a note, even when this was publicized, very few buyers of the stolen goods came forward to turn items in. Certainly many remained blissfully ignorant about the true nature of their "sweet deal", but it makes you wonder about others. This crew was slick, and kept this up for at least three years. Makes you wonder if it isn't the same folks back again? As for insurance, I know very few collectors who have bothered to talk to their insurance company. You have to not only consider theft, but also fire and natural disaster. Even if you can prove you owned these items, they will be considered "luxury items" or a "collection" and not covered under a standard policy. The good news is that that the riders to cover such things are generally fairly affordable. I can't imagine having hundreds of thousands of dollars tied up in a collection without having coverage. Don't be surprised if your insurance company asks for an inventory based on purchase or market value, and photographic evidence that the collection exists. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinroydonald Posted October 28, 2007 Author Share #22 Posted October 28, 2007 Hello group, Please let me take a few minutes to post an update. I have been collecting for 35 years and have been very careful not to discuss details as to how and where the collection was stored. I have been guilty of letting the general public enjoy the collection during local displays, Museum loans and special events. I was present at a city event the first week of Oct. with a display. I have a location that has a double car garage I rented for storage. This has an alarm and was reported to be monitored 24 hours a day. This is located just a few miles from my home. I do not have room at home for a collection of this size. I have had no problems with security for the past 15 years. There had been a change of ownership for the property and changes were made without peoples knowledge or notification. The previous management was on site at all times and kept up with who came and went in and out of the gate. The new owners are cutting corners and assigned the new management to cover two properties. This kept him from being on site as much as needed. I am active with the collection and would visit on my days off to work on what ever project needed attention. There have only been 4 other people in this building in the past 15 years. There were 100 uniforms stored on foam torso's inside suit bags. These hung in two rows completly around the building. The fieldgear was stored in a 73 quart container that was stacked under the torso's. This has allowed me to keep a very good inventory of the groupings. I have pictures taken at displays and shows. The Local police have the inventory pictures at this time and I am unable to post. I can post a partial list of the groupings. These were complete soldiers just as they would have been stripped off a mannequin for storage. At the time in question there were 6 or more units broken into so I don't think I was targeted just for the militaria. I also know it was not a collector as they took cheaper WW1 uniforms and left a mint Camo jumpsuit hanging on the wall. A list of items follows: 1 - M1910 cotton officers uniform - complete with all gear - Mint 2 - M1912 wool enlisted uniform - complete with all gear - Mint 3 - M1917 wool enlisted uniform - complete with all gear - Mint 32nd division 4 - M1918 officers dress uniform - complete with all gear - Mint 5 - M1918 inlisted dress uniform - complete with all gear - Mint 6 - WW1 - Navy uniform - complete with "USS PENNSYLVANIA" flat hat- Mint 7 - WW1 - Navy uniform - complete with "US NAVY" flat hat - Mint 8 - WW1 - Army uniforms - 5 total - Complete with all gear 1-5th division- Mint 9 - WW1 - Army uniform - Rough Cut - Mint 10- M1937 Garrison uniform - complete - Mint 11- Tropical officers uniform - complete - Mint 12- Tropical enlisted uniform - complete - Mint 13- M1941 First pattern HBT uniform - complete - Mint 14-M1942 Second pattern HBT uniform [03] Green -Complete - Mint 15-M1943 second pattern HBT uniform [07] Green - complete- Mint 16-M1944 Third pattern HBT uniform [07] Green - complete - Mint 17-M1944 Third pattern HBT uniform [07] Green - complete - Mint 18-M1943 Army Camo 2 pc set - Normandy - Complete - Mint 19-M1937 D-day uniform /41 field jacket - complete- Mint 20-M1943 Late war Paratrooper uniform - complete - Mint 21-M1943 Winter combat uniform - complete- mint 22-Fighter pilot - Tan- Complete 23-Bomber pilot - Dark - Complete 24- Pilot Dress uniform - Edward Miller Griffin - Glider pilot - 9th AF- Crusher 25-Pilot Dress uniform - Tan cotton - Crusher Cap 26 Pilot Dress uniform - Ike style - Pink pants - overseas hat 27 USMC khaki uniform - Shotgun belt set - WW1 Helmet 28 USMC M-1941 HBT uniform - complete - packs - everything - unissued 29 USMC M1944 HBT camo uniform - complete- packs- everything - unissued 30 Usmc M1944 HBT uniform - complete - pack -everything - unissued 31 Bomber gunner cold weather uniform- heated- everything - mint Weapons = 1919a4 Browning semi-auto gun - American Arms/Delta serial number 02041 M1 Thompson semi-auto gun Auto Ordnance serial number M-17960 MG-34 semi-auto gun Waiting on serial number and maker from my dealer. I have not had this over six months and it was only shot once. I fell down on the job not recording all information when recieved I moved all remaining collection items and weapons to another location today. I have visited 4 flea markets today, 4 Pawn shops and 2 gun shops. I am going to offer a reward and post fliers tomorrow to see what turns up. Some items are marked on the inside with ink stamp " Heritage Displays" Kings Mtn. N.C. Sorry for the slow reply but I have worked hard today looking for my stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinroydonald Posted October 28, 2007 Author Share #23 Posted October 28, 2007 There are several sets of field gear that they took and left the uniforms Japanese set - Pack - blanket - mess kit - raincoat - hood - gloves -Rubberized canvas belt and rifle pouches - rubberized canvas bayonete frog and bayonete ammunition- grenades - really nice helmet - canteen - 3x5 rising sun flag - small flag personal heater. boots Russian set - pack -canteens - shovel & carrier - belt and ammo pouches - blanket - padded coat - mess kit- boots- helmet British set -Pack - canteen-map case-bren pouches - helmet - tin cup - mess kit. There are several coats , jackets , pants and shirts that were not in groupings and tubs of unissued field gear - Garand belts - Thompson sets - canteen sets. More tomorrow -havent slept in two days Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gutkowski Posted October 28, 2007 Share #24 Posted October 28, 2007 I feel your pain and I will keep a eye out for your stuff and contact you if I find anything here in Connecticut Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gutkowski Posted October 28, 2007 Share #25 Posted October 28, 2007 Do you have a local police # we can call if we find something of yours ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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