Massive theft at Dallas card show, Nearly 2 Million Dollars worth of cards stolen

[mrreality68]

Originally Posted by Jewish-collector

Agree. I'd have the hired person (it could even be a family relative or close friend) actually physically holding the expensive cases, boxes, etc,...even sitting on the floor with them.

with the value of so many of the cards that is a good idea.
Scary how it happened and how organized and prepared they seemed to be

[rand1com]

Originally Posted by mrreality68

with the value of so many of the cards that is a good idea.
Scary how it happened and how organized and prepared they seemed to be

Must not know about surveillance cameras!!

I would not give them too much credit. They will be in jail within a couple of days if not sooner.

Now they may have destroyed the cards by then but they will not get away with this heist.

[vintagerookies51]

Obviously very unfortunate and I hope the cards are recovered, thieves are punished, etc...

But after the Memory Lane incident and now this, is it that common to just deal with this amount of $$ so carelessly? Hindsight is 20/20, but if I'm carrying around anything close to that amount of value, I'm hiding an AirTag in it at the very least.

[jayshum]

Originally Posted by vintagerookies51

Obviously very unfortunate and I hope the cards are recovered, thieves are punished, etc...

But after the Memory Lane incident and now this, is it that common to just deal with this amount of $$ so carelessly? Hindsight is 20/20, but if I'm carrying around anything close to that amount of value, I'm hiding an AirTag in it at the very least.

An AirTag only helps if the thief keeps the cards in the original case. Since it looks like these guys had this planned out, there's a reasonable chance that soon after getting out of the hall, they moved the cards into something else and ditched the original case and any AirTag it might have had in it.

[brunswickreeves]

Originally Posted by jayshum

An AirTag only helps if the thief keeps the cards in the original case. Since it looks like these guys had this planned out, there's a reasonable chance that soon after getting out of the hall, they moved the cards into something else and ditched the original case and any AirTag it might have had in it.

I recommended using Air Tags back in post #52 and to expand on the rationale, a dealer would be able to identify its last location, enabling review of surveillance video in proximity (eg from exterior of a bank/store/traffic light) to ID a car or individuals in it. It would also put authorities on a directional path for higher probable recovery.

[jayshum]

Originally Posted by brunswickreeves

I recommended using Air Tags back in post #52 and to expand on the rationale, a dealer would be able to identify its last location, enabling review of surveillance video in proximity (eg from exterior of a bank/store/traffic light) to ID a car or individuals in it. It would also put authorities on a directional path for higher probable recovery.

I'm not saying AirTags are a bad idea, it's just that they only work for as long as they are with the stolen items which may not be very long if the thief is smart enough to realize they may be there. Having them would certainly be potentially better than not having them, but there's no guarantee they will provide as much information as you are suggesting.

[brian1961]

At this point, I think some of you are giving too much advice to the crook(s).

Down the way, I think a 21st (and a half?!?) century primer for dealers and collectors taking their collection to a show would be beneficial, for sure.

--- Brian Powell

[vintagerookies51]

Originally Posted by jayshum

I'm not saying AirTags are a bad idea, it's just that they only work for as long as they are with the stolen items which may not be very long if the thief is smart enough to realize they may be there. Having them would certainly be potentially better than not having them, but there's no guarantee they will provide as much information as you are suggesting.

That's why I said "at the very least". I agree it probably wouldn't be enough and it would probably be wise to hire more stringent security or something.

[Eric72]

How long before the TPGs embed air tags (or RFID, etc.) in their slabs?

[Eric72]

Originally Posted by Eric72

How long before the TPGs embed air tags (or RFID, etc.) in their slabs?

…and make sure thieves can’t render them useless with a strong magnet?

[raulus]

Originally Posted by Eric72

How long before the TPGs embed air tags (or RFID, etc.) in their slabs?

Something I learned recently with airtags is that they only update their position if an iPhone with bluetooth turned on gets close enough to them for long enough for them to phone the old folks' home in Cupertino to register their position.

So for a tag that's in a remote location, or that is moving quickly like on a freeway, its location won't update very often, if at all.

[Republicaninmass]

Originally Posted by mrreality68

with the value of so many of the cards that is a good idea.
Scary how it happened and how organized and prepared they seemed to be

Yes Jeff, clearly not a case of opportunity, but one of premeditatation. You paint a big enough target.on your back, don't be surprised when it gets hit. Anyone with access to the internet can see the amount of inventory Ash has. Post after post, day in and day out with multiple copies of high end expensive cards laid out together in one showcase. I don't care if his kids are in spy school to be CIA agents, they were easily distracted and had no business being in charge of watching those cards. It isn't their fault though I'm sure they feel horrible about it.

Many of these collectors ans dealers have come to the table post covid and hardly any know the bad parts of the hobby. Not some.random employee walking away with a box. I'm talking about organized theft and people working in teams. I had seen it alot doing shows in the 90s. Hardly anyone ever got caught or cards returned. Now with grading more prevelant and the internet, the cards are easier to track.

I've had 2 major thefts of my collection both done by people that I knew. That's one of the horrible.parts of the hobby. The nicer your collection, the bigger the pool of haters. What happened when I went to court? Well the judge asked where were my documented receipts for buying the cards. These I did not have and my cards were subsequently sold by JJ teaparty to Clark Booth. This is where the thieves sold them