Claim of $80k+ theft at the National
 

FYI. Sorry if this was already posted, I didn't see any mention of it yet.

https://sportscollectorsdigest.com/n...-atlantic-city

Claim of $80k+ theft at the National
 

How do you let that happen? That is absurd. Just assumes 100k is in a bag. Gives him 88k worth of cards who then turns and give it to his "kid" a few booths down?! Doesn't check up on it til over an hour and, surprisingly, gone?

Is this real? This is Idiocracy. Obviously I feel bad for him, but so many red flags, especially with his stature in the hobby, how did he miss this?

Strange story. Here, you haven't paid yet for these 87K worth of cards and we don't even have a deal, but take them and give them to your son. I hope it works out for Giddings.

maybe it is common in the community to let someone put $90k worth of cards in hand, but it does not really make any sense to me.

Claim of $80k+ theft at the National
 

"Don't worry, I won't bother going through the bag to make sure there is actual cash. In the meantime, here's 88k worth of cards!"

Now that I think about it, I don't feel that bad for him. Just ridiculous you let that happen. I do hope it gets resolved.

But to hand them off to a "kid" 3 or so booths down sure as hell isn't. Even without checking to see if there is money in the bag? I wouldn't let those out of my site, especially at the National.

it does not sound like the guy is hiding. Perhaps he did some legal legwork and figured you can legally do this and leave the state?

Hopefullythey are graded cards and they can be identified if they show up at auction. If, they can pull video surveillance, hopefully someone will recognize them. Sounds like the culprit had some knowledge on sport cards. Best case scenario they end up at a pawn shop and will get back to the owner. I wonder if the thieves had Gmail addresses as they escalated from the BST to the National.

Theft is illegal in most states. Probably even Jersey. :D

from the article...
"Giddings, who provided witnesses who saw the incident, said detectives contacted the alleged suspect, who lives in Ohio, and requested that he return to Atlantic City to be interviewed, but he declined."

Of course its illegal, but maybe there is something equivalent to no-extradition across state lines for collectibles.... why else is this guy letting the victim know who he is and then answering a phone call from the cops?

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...he-cannoli.jpg

"On second thought, take the bag of cash and leave the cannoli."

Karma is a bitch: if I am recalling it right, this is the dealer who sold stolen cards at the last AC national and refused to give back the inventory he had when the rightful owner and the buyer presented the facts. I won't out them but

At least this time it did not take place in a line to get ice cream. Ice cream should never be a part of a crime or a crime scene.

Was going to type in all caps, but site won't let me. Not Dick Giddings!

“I’m devastated,” Giddings said. “I’m out of mind that I let him leave the booth because I trusted him because his bag was in the booth. We had no idea how much money was in the bag; it’s not my job to do that."

------------

Huh?? Calling back to another thread, I bet that guy is the type who wears a COVID mask while he's alone in his car on the open highway.

Hopefully it works out but I also do not understand that in the article

I’m out of mind that I let him leave the booth because I trusted him because his bag was in the booth. We had no idea how much money was in the bag; it’s not my job to do that.


When you are dealing in that value of cards and that value of money then it is your job

And if someone hands you a bag of their money in advance why the in world would you even think to take possession of it?

Like almost every theft story at the National I have heard, going back years and years, none of them seem to add up and are highly suspicious.

LOL, my favorite is still the purple sticker guy story and all the fake accounts on here he or his friend made to post about it. :eek::D:D:D

Your gonna do a transaction of that much money without counting the money and you let the guy walk with the cards ?? Come on Man? Sounds ridiculous. This doesn’t add up to me. What happened who knows?

I guess the seller is desperate to score a deal on a Saturday afternoon?

If cards are ungraded, I wouldn't let them out of my sight.... what happen if "the kid" drop and ding a few corners???

Yup! Hence my reference to the ice cream line. That was a great piece of fiction and this one is starting to come off the same way.

So it’s not his job to count the money? Strange…


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Never underestimate the lure of a triple scoop waffle cone.

I see he is on the National board. Rich, any update on this story?

Yeah that whole thread, with someone's supposed niece if I recall right, and Earl from SGC, and who knows what else was a classic.

+1

I get it. Hard to eat with just one hand with a 51 Mantle in the other.

It gets weird at post 42.

https://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=258272

You do have to admit Mathew has some great stories. He also has/had a ton of fake accounts on here.

Well, based on these pictures posted in the "Nationals is open for business…. Quick updates" thread, it appears the cards are raw:

http://www.net54baseball.com/attachm...6&d=1659297045

http://www.net54baseball.com/attachm...7&d=1659297055

http://www.net54baseball.com/attachm...5&d=1659297034

Steve

I was right! He gave up the Mantle to grab the triple scoop in a waffle cone! https://www.net54baseball.com/showpo...&postcount=129 For what it is worth, I would too.

Just read the stolen 51 Mantle thread. If ever a person or a thread deserved a purple sticker, Lowpopper and that thread should be the first. It reads better today than it did back in 18.

Wow.
https://www.net54baseball.com/showpo...&postcount=130

I am not a graded card collector. Is there any way to see if the crard pictured in that thread has been sold since then?

This card that he put his purple sticker on.:)

That cert number is not in PSA's database as ever having been sold publicly.

Why does every card theft story sound as though the victim was a 10 year old?

That one deserved a three part Netflix docuseries.

Ever heard the old saying--Left holding the bag---oldest con game in the world. Obvious still effective in our modern computer age society-- ,

I love when the evildoer is “Mr. Earl John Son of Cleveland”, not Johnson but John Son. He was right up there with the Riddler and Lex Luthor.

Yeah has a sinister sound to it.

So many aspects of this story are so ridiculous it’s hard to wrap your head around it.

Giddings at some point, after some guy walks off with $78,000 worth of cards or whatever it was, remember that the guy has left behind a bag of some kind, which he has never bothered to open, and all of a sudden is “scared” for some reason. What was he “scared” about. Concerned maybe. Confused maybe? But no he’s scared. Maybe he was going to open up the bag and one of those gag rubber snakes was going to pop out?

“If he’s the kind of guy who leaves a bag on the floor and runs out the door …. Now I’m fearing for my life.” What?

This whole story is so stupid.

He "knew the guy" but decided it "wasn't his job" to check the money in the bag? WTF. Why is the thief not being identified?

Lovers' quarrel??

56 Mantle card worth 20K??? Why wouldn't you grade that? Or did he have graded as well.

Yeah, better to let him dispose of the cards to unsuspecting third parties.

If the article is any indication of where this is headed, should he pursue this with his insurance carrier and/or the police, I don't think there will be a very favorable outcome for him. He does not come off as a sympathetic or sincere victim.

If he had simply stated that aliens stole his cards and described what they looked like that might have more validity.

I find it difficult to believe a dealer is genuinely this stupid. What’s that smell? There’s an aroma of bullshit. I’ll pick “things that didn’t happen” for $500. If people believe this happened as described, PM me. I have this sweet bridge in Brooklyn I’ll sell you real cheap.

This

Of course, this story as stated didn't happen. Sometime you just gotta say, "Why the _____ are you reporting this nonsense story ?" :D

The "Would you hold my bag with $100,000 in it for me for a while?" part itself is bizarre.

Maybe the light was bad over that table. Happened before.

That was actually my immediate response, too. Feels like an insurance scam.

LOL, I also remember the bad lighting fiasco.:D

Considering the "buyer" is now in Ohio presumably with the cards and declining to return to Atlanta City, if I was the victim and considering the amount, I would be seeking a federal investigation by the FBI under 18 USC 2314.

Whoever transports, transmits, or transfers in interstate or foreign commerce any goods, wares, merchandise, securities or money, of the value of $5,000 or more, knowing the same to have been stolen, converted or taken by fraud;

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2314

What are the odds the dealer eventually ends up getting charged with insurance fraud or filing a false police report? None of this rings true.

That year I ended up buying 4 gray backs from the same seller. Light was just fine over there! I wasn't checking for wrinkles however

I remember going by that guys booth and all of his Mantles were ungraded.


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Except in the 3rd picture you can see there are 1961, 1963, and 1968 graded Mantles in the case in the upper left corner.

Have you met the victim?
.

+1.

Story is hard to believe.

Zero but was thinking the point above, filing a insurance claim. I seen these cards in person before the alleged incident they all had low grade issues none were better than Vg+ His prices on them were way over valued.

Murderers get out with barely a slap on the wrist. What happens to thieves now a days?

If I'm correct I believe he had "$800" written in black sharpie on each of the 67 Mantles that I was looking at.

Sonny Boy!

ya...that story is believable!!!!

You’re correct about 500$ to much on each ! Lol


What’s this dealers reputation ?

Has anyone ever done business with him ?

Why were the cards given to the son to begin with? Then they were waiting for the son to come back with the cards? What was the point of that handoff?

I guess the kid could be trusted with 80K worth of cards but not 100K cash.

My take was the son was supposed to review and price them, but could be reading too much into it.

Nothing new here oldest scam in the book perfectly organized.

If this was a scene in a bad movie all the cards in the case would have been reprints to start with.

As someone mentioned above, if this is some kind of con or scam, the crossing state lines part of it certainly ratchets up the heat considerably.

The Magic Rat drove his sleek machine
Over the Jersey state line

Possibly even a Meeting Across the River.

https://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=175664

Has it really been 9 years? How time flies..

Further confirmation that man-child continues to be fully represented in the hobby.

Hey Eddie, can you get us a ride?

Take a stroll through some of the Net54 threads in which this dealer has participated or been mentioned. For instance:

https://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=184690

Haha… archive does it again!!!

I wonder why Gizmo is on the National Committee?

There is no victim. Does this seem like a believable story and chain of events to you?

Only adds to the lack of credibility to his tale of the theft. The real crime at the National sounds like the prices he was asking.