Captain America Comics #1 returned

[josfriend]

Contact this website.

 

http://stolencomic.com/

 

Thanks I've just registered on the site, but I'm having a little trouble using it. I'll figure it out. Thanks again.

[kagenish]

Sorry to hear this hopefully you find the that day stoled it

[Comicopolis]

Sorry to hear about the theft of such a classic book. Definitely report it to the police and contact your insurance company.

[thehumantorch]

So so sorry to hear it.

 

You might all consider contacting anyone or company who was working in your house and tell them that:

 

a police report has been filed

the book has unique identifying markings making it easy to spot when they attempt to sell it

it is very valuable and the police and court system will consider it a very serious theft

if it is returned now all will be forgiven

 

Don't give up. Contact every possible local store and all of the large US dealers and auction houses and make it almost impossible for the thief to resell it. I'm sure the reason

the Cage copy of Action 1 turned up in a storage locker is that it was impossible to resell.

[USArmyParatrooper]

I'm sorry to hear about this.

 

It must have felt like a gut shot when you realized it was missing.

 

Definitely check all your other comics and see if it is missing. To be frank, I think there's a good chance this was actually someone you know. I've been very surprised by people over the years, which pretty much turned me into the cynical I am today.

 

From what you're telling us it sounds to me like that Cap 1 was specifically targeted. I'm not saying for sure it's someone you know, but at least keep an open mind.

 

For a moment, ignore your personal feelings about everyone you know. Make a list of who all knew you owned the comic (especially if they knew where you kept it) and begin logical deductions from there.

[roulette44]

So sorry to hear about it, but given we're talking about such a marquee book, I think you can get the word out quickly and make it impossible to sell for the theif!

 

Keep us posted

[Kevin.J]

What a sickener.

I hate having any strangers in the house.

You know this book will show up somewhere, hopefully when it does someone from here will spot it.

You need to register a report including your scans with the police for when that day comes, so you can prove it.

Good luck and I hope you get it back.

[rockman2008]

To be frank, I think there's a good chance this was actually someone you know. I've been very surprised by people over the years, which pretty much turned me into the cynical I am today.

 

 

+1

 

 

 

[Cat-Man_America]

I'm so sorry to learn of this. As a GA Cap collector and former victim of theft myself I can certainly empathize with the sickly feeling of loss you must be experiencing.

 

I have no recommendations to add beyond those provided by others; most suggestions are dead-on given the circumstances and difficulty of nailing down when the theft occurred.

 

Wishing you the best outcome.

[chrisco37]

Man, that sucks! I hope you get your book back.

 

 

[josfriend]

Also, contact CGC and let them know to flag any CAC #1's.

 

The folks at CGC say that they can't do anything without a court order so I will check on how to get one of those at the police department.

 

Thanks very much.

[comicwiz]

Also, contact CGC and let them know to flag any CAC #1's.

 

The folks at CGC say that they can't do anything without a court order so I will check on how to get one of those at the police department.

 

Thanks very much.

 

Are there any actual human beings left at CGC because (especially lately) it sounds like its been taken over by drones.

[revat]

Also, contact CGC and let them know to flag any CAC #1's.

 

The folks at CGC say that they can't do anything without a court order so I will check on how to get one of those at the police department.

 

Thanks very much.

 

Are there any actual human beings left at CGC because (especially lately) it sounds like its been taken over by drones.

 

 

You think CGC are drones because they have basic business sense and protect the privacy of their customers? They have no responsibility to some stranger off the street who calls in and says "someone stole one of my comics, please keep an eye out for it". What if ten CAC 1 came in the next two weeks, should CGC just give those 10 names to the police and/or to the victim? Does that seem reasonable? How fair is that to those 10 customers, or 100? Or what if everyday 100 people called in to say "someone stole 'xxxx comic', please keep an eye out for it?"

How would you like it if you were one of those people and you saved up for years to buy a CAC #1, sent it in to CGC for grading, and next thing you know people are claiming you may have stolen it or question you about it. And they might question you about the other books you submitted. And CGC did all of this on the basis of a phone call from some guy, no court order. I'm guessing that type of incident (especially a false accusation) would destroy CGC pretty dam quick, and potentially open them up to liability, not to mention the extra work/costs (unpaid at that) to screen for and find any CAC #1 in the system and pull them and get the info. People would stop sending in high value books (or maybe any value), not worth the trouble.

 

Should they make an exception because of the high dollar value? Is that more fair? Not really. Should they only take only the first 100 search request per day? Is that more fair? Not really.

So where does one draw the line? Maybe the only place it can reasonably drawn. Is it ideal? Maybe maybe not. But is it fair and a reasonable business practice (not to mention a relatively standard business practice)? I would say yes.

 

My point is, I know its easy to say random things online and in chat rooms, but maybe there is no need to call someone names without thinking it completely through. I know we often think of companies as faceless corporations, but the company ain't that big, and real people work there.

 

I hope the guy gets his comic back, and if he can get a court order, it would be cool if CGC helped catch the bad guy. But calling people names for not trampling on the privacy rights of their customers seems ..... less than optimal.

[comicwiz]

Thanks a lot for your opinion.

 

Now take a moment to understand mine.

 

Ask yourself - why hasn't Mark Haspel ever joined the boards?

 

Steve used to roll with the rest of us and actively post here. In fact, I'm pretty certain he would have at least acknowledged the loss of such an important book by posting, at minimum a "sorry to hear" in this thread.

 

I'm not saying they need to turn their super-sleuthing antanneas on high alert, or post pictures at every cubicle of their office, but even just something like "sorry we can't promise anything, but if something turns up, we'll let you know."

 

Instead the OP gets straight text-book talk on court orders, blah, blah, blah.

 

I don't blame Steve one bit for not spending as much time since he left, but bottom line is, when contentious topics hit the boards, he'd try to get on here and address our concerns.

 

Do you know that Steve actually called the store submitting my AF 15 to ask if I bought it from Danny-boy (I happened to be there when he called)? At that moment, that single act demonstrated to me this was an organization that truly cared about the hobby and collectors.

 

Is Mark too good to engage with customers? Too busy to talk shop or shoot the breeze every once in awhile?

 

The human touch point to this organization is nowhere to be found online, and rarely if ever found unless you see them at shows.

 

Some of the biggest brands on the continent recognize the importance of treating people like people, not like numbers.

 

Guys like Steve and Scott did this company a huge assist by doing what they did.

 

Only a drone would do the opposite and run the business after their departure like everyone is just a number on an invoice

[shadroch]

CGC is part of the comics community. There are perhaps a dozen unslabbed books that match this books description. Either you are willing to work on behalf of the community or you are not. If you need a court order to act responsibly, I pity you.

[Comicdey]

Very sorry to hear this....if it ever shows up again....which it will, then you'll see it again..

 

Best of luck in a quicker than later return.

 

 

[fantastic_four]

Ugh. That's bad. I hope that you can get it sorted out with the police as well as insurance. I guess now I feel a little more justified in hiding my slabs when the contractors come over.

 

I've actually put some work I need doing off for years for this reason--I refuse to let strangers into my house unless I'm there to guard the comic room, and I hate taking time away from my job to get repairs done. Most of my stuff is in a deposit box, but nobody can put everything in one.

[revat]

I don't dispute that customer service is paramount to the success for most if not all companies.

 

But it is my opinion that for CGC to actively assist (without a court order) would be a disservice to their actual paying customers (which in this instance the victim is not one) and to themselves. And potentially a legal detriment, to be perfectly honest.

 

 

 

And I agree that one could say that "what could it hurt in this one instance? lets help this guy out." But where do you draw the line without discriminating? Value of book? # of requests? I bet they get 10-15 calls per week like this. Its a slippery slope.

 

This isn't a small LCS where an owner can remember every book brought in for sale on a given day, and many sales are cash on a no name basis. This is a million (ish?) revenue company with a ton of books and huge orders that keeps DETAILED info on its customers. Then to pull those comics, which may be part of much larger orders and hold them (decreasing customer service again), and then what? The victim picks one out of a lineup?

 

I'm saying that because they don't voluntarily turn private personal and financial information of their customers over to the police and/or some person calling in off the street WITHOUT A COURT ORDER doesn't seem 'drone-like' to me. It seems perfectly reasonable and quite normal for a business, which they are. And I personally wouldn't want to buy from a company that I thought might turn over my information without a warrant or court order.

 

But I also won't dispute that the company appears to have become more 'business-like' over time, just that this particular instance of requiring a court order doesn't make me think 'drone', and I appreciate the apparent professionalism involved.

 

 

 

[fantastic_four]

I bet they get 10-15 calls per week like this.

 

Can't imagine that's the case--even as many as one or two a month would surprise me. They may have gotten burned by someone giving them a fake "look for my book" request before though, so your point about why they're requiring a court order is a valid one.

[comicwiz]

Trooper is right. All too often it's someone you know.

 

A collector on another message for years (IIRC in 2007) had posted a watch out on some very rare pieces stolen from his collection.

 

After nearly 5 years without a trace, it turned out that his "friend" had them in his possession, and a member of the boards caught him selling them on eBay. Here is the thread where he turned to the community with the information and development.

 

The real sign this individual was a scheming is that sometime in late 2011, the boardie came online to update the community that he had received an insurance settlement and was ready to move on.

 

So after spending nearly 5 years in hiding, the guy who robbed him started selling the pieces a month or two after his update on the insurance settlement.

 

With friends like this, who needs enemies