Victory Comics robbed - many high end books stolen. 0

[FlyingDonut]

Victory Comics in Falls Church, Virginia was robbed last night - Victory is owned by Jeff Weaver, who is a long-time owner/dealer/convention circuit guy, who along with Al Stoltz found the Lost Valley Collection.  A large amount of graded books and raw comics were were stolen. A $5,000 reward has been offered for info or arrest. Call 703-241-9393 if you have any info about the books or insufficiently_thoughtful_person thieves.

 

[FlyingDonut]

[FlyingDonut]

[thunsicker]

Sad to hear.  Hope they are recovered.

[ramrodcar]

are there any scans of the slabs and/or raw books so we can eye out?

[Jayman]

Terrible! No security cameras at all?

[Bookery]

On 9/20/2022 at 7:57 PM, Jayman said:

Terrible! No security cameras at all?

I don't know if this shop did or not, but very few comics shops do.  I think I'm the only one in my region (state?) with numerous security cameras + alarm systems (and it helps to be 2 blocks from a police station).  In the old days camera systems were prohibitively expensive for small businesses (my first system cost $20,000), and I think many just got out of the habit of even considering it.  But now you can get multi-cam systems for a few hundred dollars at Sam's Club, and more professional systems are still relatively cheap.  Even a Ring-type camera set in the main area is better than nothing.  I urge all shops to consider this.  Not only will it help the police... but if you have images of the thieves (even if masked), it helps the rest of us to possibly spot your perpetrators and protect ourselves as well as increase the odds of recovering your merchandise.

[Nic8612]

On 9/21/2022 at 8:51 AM, Bookery said:

I don't know if this shop did or not, but very few comics shops do.  I think I'm the only one in my region (state?) with numerous security cameras + alarm systems (and it helps to be 2 blocks from a police station).  In the old days camera systems were prohibitively expensive for small businesses (my first system cost $20,000), and I think many just got out of the habit of even considering it.  But now you can get multi-cam systems for a few hundred dollars at Sam's Club, and more professional systems are still relatively cheap.  Even a Ring-type camera set in the main area is better than nothing.  I urge all shops to consider this.  Not only will it help the police... but if you have images of the thieves (even if masked), it helps the rest of us to possibly spot your perpetrators and protect ourselves as well as increase the odds of recovering your merchandise.

Hate to sound insensitive, but in 2022 there's no excuse to not have cameras at your business. Ive had cameras at my house for almost 10 years now, they've been affordable at the consumer level for a while 

[BigLeagueCHEW]

I have 5 Arlo cameras, all with free monthly monitoring. I only paid for the equipment. Most newer one's charge monthly, but I get almost instant alerts.

[mattn792]

The perp(s) certainly knew what books to grab.  Disgruntled employee or customer of low morals perhaps?  

[MAR1979]

That sucks.  Having a detailed inventory with CGC certs recorded is important. Glad to see they do that

 

Edited September 21, 2022 by MAR1979

[theCapraAegagrus]

On 9/21/2022 at 9:41 AM, Nic8612 said:

Hate to sound insensitive, but in 2022 there's no excuse to not have cameras at your business.

Same sentiment from me.

[Robot Man]

Oh, that suks. Jeff is a great guy. I really hope he gets his books back.

Something else to consider. Why leave valuable books on the wall or in display cases when the store is closed?

I know it might be a little inconvient, but wouldn’t it be a little safer to pull at least the expensive ones, put them in a box and take home or lock up in a safe for the night?

I know I and many other dealers do that at multi day cons. Just makes it harder for some low ball scum to rip you off.

We live in crappy times…

[Chaz G.]

That's terrible. I'll keep my eye out. Best of luck to them.

[Krismusic]

Sorry this happened will always keep an eye out and hopefully He gets his books back 

[troydivision1]

How does insurance work in this case?

IMO, the reward is...is...something...especially when compared to the current retail value of just the X-Men #1 2.0 alone.
No cap, I've seen lost dog rewards hit almost $5k sometimes.

[shadroch]

On 9/21/2022 at 9:33 AM, troy.division said:

How does insurance work in this case?

IMO, the reward is...is...something...especially when compared to the current retail value of just the X-Men #1 2.0 alone.
No cap, I've seen lost dog rewards hit almost $5k sometimes.

If it was done by local cretins, $5,000 will loosen many a tongue. If it was an organized crew, maybe not.

 

[sonicyouth1]

On 9/21/2022 at 10:33 AM, troy.division said:

How does insurance work in this case?
 

It depends on the policy. Very detailed pics and inventory with cert # will definitely help… 

Many of those high dollar books will likely not be covered as there is often a cap. And without cameras or footage showing the actual burglary the insurance company can call shenanigans quite easily.

In my experience with small business, this business would need to provide more evidence for a claim to be fully covered.

Many insurance companies will require the small business to have video surveillance to be fully insured from burglary. 
 

Burglary is a grey area for insurance companies and small business. It’s very difficult for small business to prove they owned the book which was was stolen so small businesses usually have to settle for much lower claim.

An adjuster or actuary will instantly be suspect of the inventory listed. 
Looks like an inside job. The list is almost too good to be true.

A very unfortunate situation for the owner and I hope the claims adjuster is kind. 
 

Let’s hope these books are recovered and the perpetrators arrested!

 

[troydivision1]

Someone posted this link on reddit.

A 'reward' that is 5% of the estimated value and dependent on the arrest of the thieves and the recovery off the books.

"Weaver initially estimated the theft of comic books to be worth at least $40,000, police said. Weaver said he has increased his estimate of the stolen material to about $100,000, but police did not immediately confirm the new estimate."
"The owner said he is offering a $2,500 reward for any information leading to the arrests of the thieves and another $2,500 for the recovery of the books."

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/northern-virginia/tens-of-thousands-of-dollars-worth-of-comic-books-stolen-store-owner/3161735/

Edited September 23, 2022 by troy.division

[Ares]

On 9/21/2022 at 10:47 AM, MAR1979 said:

That sucks.  Having a detailed inventory with CGC certs recorded is important. Glad to see they do that

 

Sad things is if the thief knows his stuff then he most likely broke them out of the cases