STOLEN COMICS ALERT

[Nico Esq]

If anyone has any questions about insurance claims and/or coverage, please PM me. I'm almonst certain that I won't be licensed in your forum state, but I should be able to poit you in the right direction, help you secure information, etc. There are certainly some general principles of common law and some model acts, but insurance laws differ Stae by State. There is also a forum in comics general that discusses the collectble insurance policy referenced above in this thread. Apparently it is sold by a subsidiary of USAA. If you have a loss from theft, fire, etc., before you communicate with anyone else, please contact an attorney who concentrates their practice in insurance claims and/or insurance bad faith.

[NewEnglandGothic]

[mschmidt]

Or, seeing that he's insured through Collectibles Insurance which specializes in these sorts of things, he should just call them up to begin a claim and then wait for the CI adjuster to call him back.

 

I just went through this with a bunch of books that got damaged in shipping - it's been a relatively painless process so far.

[Nico Esq]

That's great news. I'm glad Collectbles Insurance has treated you and hopefully other claimants with respect, but most insurance companies delay, deny and defend payment of valid claims because of a managerial redesin project that actually started at USAA by McKinsey and Company which today encourages insurers to incentivize and give bonuses in personnel reviews for things like reducig the average amount paid on a claim. If you have a large loss, please contact counsel in your area before you speak to an isurance adjuster and do yourself a favor.

[dicjones]

Sorry to hear about that.

 

This is my biggest fear as we are getting ready to list out house for sale. Our current residence is too small, as a result, I'm at a loss trying to figure out where I can hide my books so nobody sees them when they come for showings or open houses. I've got no place my books can go where they won't be found.

 

I already refused to let the realtor take a picture of my "comic room" for the website. The last thing I needed was people being able to see pictures of this stuff on the Internet with our address posted right above it.

 

 

Climate controlled storage locker for the bulk. Anything ultra valuable to a safety deposit box til after the move. Then you can post pics of the room on your listing. Unusual rooms caught my attention when I was house hunting.

 

Thanks for the ideas.

[Heronext]

I am in the process of submitting the claim. Most can be replaced at cover price. For older books I will consult Overstreet and online guides.

 

For the poster opening his house to prospective buyers, I am reminded of how the owner of the Suscha News collection labelled his comic boxes "academic textbooks". His story is on Metropolis Comics' website. If it were me I would at least cover them somehow.

 

Your concern is understandable. We don't want word of our collections getting out to unsavory quarters of our communities. A portion of Davis Crippen's collection was stolen, the theft discovered only years later when the bulk of his comics were brought to market. A contractor who had done work on his house was suspected I believe.

[nocutename]

I am in the process of submitting the claim. Most can be replaced at cover price. For older books I will consult Overstreet and online guides.

 

 

I hope all goes well. If you can update the thread or PM me about the insurance that would be great. I too am in the NY area and my area is getting sketchy.

 

 

[comicalgems]

I am in the process of submitting the claim. Most can be replaced at cover price. For older books I will consult Overstreet and online guides.

 

For the poster opening his house to prospective buyers, I am reminded of how the owner of the Suscha News collection labelled his comic boxes "academic textbooks". His story is on Metropolis Comics' website. If it were me I would at least cover them somehow.

 

Your concern is understandable. We don't want word of our collections getting out to unsavory quarters of our communities. A portion of Davis Crippen's collection was stolen, the theft discovered only years later when the bulk of his comics were brought to market. A contractor who had done work on his house was suspected I believe.

 

He had so many comics that the theft went unnoticed until the items came up for sale?

[Heronext]

I think yes that is exactly what happened, apparently. Here's a blog referring to the original Wall Street Journal article

 

http://blog.oregonlive.com/steveduin/2006/08/the_wsj_on_the_d.html

[Muaythai607]

Wow.. seen this happen before.. but with money and jewelery.. thats why i never let strangers or workers into my room and if i do i lock my stuff up..

[Heronext]

Suspect entering my apt building morning of Wed May 16, 2012 10 minutes after I leave for work.

 

 

Suspect exiting building 22 minutes later carrying stolen Adidas duffel bag stuffed with 60 comic books and a digital camera.

 

 

He tries to open door without realizing he has to push release button to exit.

 

[Heronext]

This is the copy of Tick Special Edition 1 that was stolen. I purchased it online in April:

 

 

This picture is not from the same book but shows the location of the serial number inside the front cover. Serial number is 1458. Apologies to the owner of this actual image.

 

[Zaitsev]

CGC CSI. Awesome. Any clues as to who it is?

[krighton]

He must have known you....to arrive right after you left for work?

[Thawk]

Probably didn't frequent the building though if he didn't know how to get out...

[Zaitsev]

Assuming that they don't only lock you inside of your building, how was he able to walk right in there? Did he follow someone in who had a means of unlocking the electric door, or did the window washer who is working in the pic have the doors propped open or something?

 

 

[Heronext]

He either waits for me to leave or comes at a time when most people are at work. He might know me, he might not. Inconclusive.

 

He comes in at the exact moment that someone is leaving. He wasn't waiting. It was a coincidence. The window washer holds the inside door open for him so it doesn't shut. In cahoots, or just being polite? Inconclusive, but either way it's not cool he lets in a stranger.

 

There is evidence he looked over my Blu Ray player (it was moved). He left behind two laptops. He takes a pile of comics stacked in my closet on top of about 8 boxes of Silver and Golden Age books, about half of them slabbed. He puts them in a duffel bag that was in the closet. It looks like he opened one box, but nothing else is missing. Maybe he did not want to hang around, maybe the boxes were too heavy. He takes a digital camera and some petty cash from a drawer. He leaves the door ajar, either to come back later or to make it look like I had left the door open and wouldn't suspect someone with a key. That part is a bit puzzling.

 

I have some theories, but let's just say I have been careless with spare keys the last couple of years. I've ruled out someone with access to a master key, but just to be safe I may install a second dead bolt that only I have the key to. My building manager said I can't, but I will look at my lease, and I might just do it anyway.

 

Also looking into safes, safety deposit boxes and P.O. boxes. I don't have a doorman. I have received dozens of packages containing comics in the past year, and they sit on the bench you see in the video until I get home from work, or outside my apartment door. A small box of cotton gloves I ordered went missing recently, the first time in 4 years any of my mail had disappeared.

 

I always tear the addresses off the boxes before throwing them out, but as you can see anyone could have seen that over a period of time, packages are arriving from comic dealers addressed to my apartment . Not saying they knew I had comics. If they did, they sure stole the wrong ones.

 

Overall, I was lucky I didn't lose more. I would hate to lose pedigrees. I think everything else could be replaced.

 

All good, thanks everyone who posted and I hope this information helps someone avoid the same

[krighton]

could they get any fingerprints from him pushing the button to open the door.

i would attribute the not knowing where the button was to nerves, he probably knew but was just thinking about getting out of there.....caucasian or asian at least from the shot.

 

any idea who the guy with the white baseball cap is, he must have seen his face.

[Lethal_Collector]

I hear safe deposit boxes at the bank aren't too expensive. Do you have insurance for your comics?

 

Jerome

[Heronext]

The cops dusted a couple places for fingerprints inside my apartment (including a stack of mylars) but couldn't find anything useful. They wouldn't dust the outside of my door handle because they said it would not be enough evidence to convict. Besides, you can't see it in the image but he has the sleeve of his sweatshirt pulled up over his hand when he reaches for the door.

 

The 2 maintenance men are known to the building management and yes we will see if they remember anything useful. The cops are not doing much, this is all my own personal investigation.

 

I have good insurance for the books (I think).