The owner of BM Collectibles, a coin shop in Oklahoma, reached out to me after his shop got robbed at 3:25 in the morning on November 2. Some guy threw a rock through the glass, got inside, and helped himself to what was sitting in the showcases with the alarm going off the whole time. He sent me the security videos and a list of what’s missing, and they’re still looking for this guy, so the least I can do is put it all up here. If you know who this is, please call the shop at 405-549-8888.
The Videos
There are four clips here and I put them in order. In this first one you can see him get out of his car. Take a good look at how he’s built and how he moves, because honestly, that might be what gets him recognized.
So here he is out front. He’s about to throw the rock, then something spooks him and he hesitates. I don’t know what spooked him, but as you’ll see in the next clip, it didn’t last long.
This next one is where he actually does it. There’s not much to say about this one, you’ll see him throw the rock to bust in the door, which of course sets off the alarm.
This last one is from inside the office. You see the rock come through the glass, and then he robs the place while the alarm is going off. To me it does look like he cased the place first, because it looks like he knew where things were. Keep that alarm in mind, because I’m coming back to it in a minute.
The Car
The image is black and white, so I can’t tell you what color the car is. It’s clearly a dark colored 4 door sedan though, with multi-spoke wheels and a taillight that wraps around onto the side. I cropped the image and brightened it up a bit so you can see more of it.
The wheels and the taillight are really the details that stand out, so here’s a closer look at those. I’m not going to guess at a make and model, but I know some of you know cars a lot better than I do. If you recognize it, or you’ve seen it around, please let him know. (Note: I also included an AI enhanced version… not sure it helps much, but maybe?)
What He Took
Here’s what the owner says the guy got away with. He said this is all he can remember, so there could be more.
- About 50 silver chain necklaces
- About 200 silver certificates, mostly low grade $1 notes
- About 30 $2 bills, mostly 1928 red seals
- Some blue seal $5 bills
- $20, $50 and $100 bills
- 300 small gold plated Trump dollars
- 300 ounces of copper
Now, I don’t want anybody going on a witch hunt over this list. Without serial numbers, this stuff isn’t really identifiable, and plenty of honest people own silver certificates and old $2 bills. Someone having the same kinds of items doesn’t mean they had anything to do with this. If you’re a dealer in the area, I’d just keep it in the back of your mind. If you actually recognize the guy or the car, that’s when you call the shop or the police.
Why a Lot of Dealers Empty Their Cases at Night
Let me say this first… this is not on the owner. The guy who threw the rock is the one who did this, and I don’t care how you run your shop, no one should have this happen to them.
With that said, I do want to be honest about something, because I think other dealers can learn from it. This is why a lot of coin dealers empty their cases and store everything in safes overnight. He was able to bust in pretty easily and take the silver chains and everything else that was just sitting in the showcase. And the alarm? It went off and he kept right on going.
I know it’s a lot of work to do that every day. You’re pulling everything out at close and putting it all back the next morning, and after a long day that’s the last thing you want to do. A safe isn’t going to save your window either, but the guy would be leaving with a whole lot less. For the peace of mind and the lower risk, I think it’s worth the effort.
Still… no one should have to walk in and find their shop like this. If you recognize this guy or this car, please call BM Collectibles at 405-549-8888. And if you know anyone in the coin world in Oklahoma, send this their way.
These are my personal opinions and observations, not financial advice. Always do your own research before making investment decisions.