Items Stolen at Dallas Trade-o-Ree
Posted in Patch Collecting by John E. Pannell on January 15th, 2007 at 12:24 am Jody Tucker of Manion’s has made it known through patch-l that several valuable items of Scouting memorabilia were apparently stolen at this patch weekend’s Dallas TOR. He writes:
Unfortunately, there were some items that were stolen late yesterday afternoon. The three items were a 154 Checote F1, 370 Moswetuset S1, and a 1969 San Gabriel Valley Red & White Strip. These were taken off three different tables and by the nature of the items, the person responsible knew what they were taking.
I would be happy to reward anyone who can help with the return of these pieces.
Please contact him if you know anything about the disappearance of these items. Given the scarcity of what has gone missing, if they were taken, the thief knew exactly what he was after.
Unfortunately, these are not the first thefts I have heard about. Several valuable pieces have gone missing from dealers’ tables over the last few years. Even a trader at a local TOR, here in North Carolina, had a piece taken from his table. Be aware and be advised.
I can certainly empathize with anybody, who travels a great distance to a TOR, with the hope of certainly covering their expenses, if not actually live the American dream, and make a little profit, too. And while I’ve no idea what the RWS goes for, I HAVE a 370 s1 (so I KNOW what IT goes for), and a decent 154 is a NICE piece of change to boot. Seeing as how the three together, are probably worth more than my old Grand Marquis (and yet, if someone stole THAT, it WOULD be considered “grand theft auto” - a felony in most jurisdictions!), it seems to me, pocketing a few thousand dollars worth of patches, would similarly qualify as a “major” crime. After all, helping yourself to a few thousand bucks worth of art at your local museum, would surely unleash the local constabulary - as collectible “treasures” of the Scouting world, seems to me, that if the offending party were caught, they would face some rather serious charges indeed!
Of course, as MANY folks on Patch-L have pointed out, trying to NAB the offending party, in some way that is “fair,” while surely ’sporting’ of the offended, misses the mark of the law entirely! The law exists, as the curb & rule of society, and as punishment for transgressors - period. Attempting to “moderate” the law, given what it’s actually supposed to DO, seems like folly, at best.
Moreover, try to pocket a few thousand dollars worth of merchandise at your friendly neighborhood retailer sometime; they will have NO QUALMS, about dispatching a security guard to apprehend you - by force, if necessary - and shake said merchandise OUT of you, by whatever means necessary - and THEN turn you over to the local men in blue! THEY don’t seem to have any issues or concerns, about whether you’re a 27 bead Woodbadger, how many knots you’re wearing, or whether the entirety of your Region of the BSA comes by to vouch for you! Perhaps TOR’s should look at employing such professionals, as a “cost of doing business” measure, and to ENSURE, that valuable memorabilia does NOT ’sprout legs’ in such locations. It may add a little to the price of admission, but can ANYONE reading this, afford to ‘give away,’ a few thousand bucks worth of flaps?!?! I know I can’t…
Bob McCanless
Pittsburgh
[...] There were a number of posts a couple of weeks ago on Patch-L regarding 3 major pieces that were stolen from tableholders at the Dallas TOR. John Pannell wrote on his blog in part: Jody Tucker of Manion’s has made it known through patch-l that several valuable items of Scouting memorabilia were apparently stolen at this patch weekend’s Dallas TOR.  He writes: Unfortunately, there were some items that were stolen late yesterday afternoon. The three items were a 154 Checote F1, 370 Moswetuset S1, and a 1969 San Gabriel Valley Red & White Strip. These were taken off three different tables and by the nature of the items, the person responsible knew what they were taking. [...]
FWIW, I had a 150F1 and a 551s2 stolen off my table at Dallas also. I was located near the door at the end of the aisle from Jody. I guess the thief just picked up the two highest priced items loose on my table on his way out.