Local dealer robbed of 200k plus

pennyannie · May 19, 2008 2:53PM

One of my favorite coin dealers Ron Swiney Coins in Fort Worth TX got ripped off sunday night. Burgulars cut a hole in the roof to gain access and then hammer drilled thru 10 inches of concrete and rebar to get into the safe he just build a few months back. They cut the security camera lines and disabled the system. They got away with 200k plus in coins. I hate people that steal. I think that had to take around a hour minimum to do that. Of course no one saw a thing.

DUIGUY · May 19, 2008 3:17PM

A job of this intensive labor and booty will be bragged about by the guilty, loose lips sink the ship. I look forward to the guilty's demise.

BECOKA · May 19, 2008 3:36PM

Wow, I am stunned at a couple of things.

First, Michigan did not report this and second someone got away with a movie style burglary. I am really hate people that resort to this stuff but hopefully insurance will cover it.

Unknown · May 19, 2008 3:43PM

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Barndog · May 19, 2008 3:45PM

<< It sound so terrible unbelieveable that I must wonder if it is an inside job. Obviously the criminal was so prepared that he had to have all the info on the NEW safe as you described and to have a level of comfort in that making such noise and understanding the time it would take to pull it off and believe it could actually get away with it. Something smells in my mind, this hollywood breakin just doesn't happen unless it is with a great deal of info. >>

agreed. Look to the person(s) that built/installed the safe, among others

Unknown · May 19, 2008 3:59PM

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pennyannie · May 19, 2008 6:10PM

BTW this was in Fort Worth Tx. I know the owner pretty well, His son called me a few times today and updated it. I know that it was not a inside job. The coin store had just moved to this location a few months ago. They had been in the same strip center for years but moved to a larger spot a few months ago. But i do believe that someone who may have done some remodel work may have told someone where and how it may be done. I may be wrong but...I have a few ideas of who may have been involved indirectly. Last year there were a few robberies of this sort cutting a hole in the roof to gain access to rob a few other local coin stores. The thiefs did know what coins to get though. Left the less valuable stuff behind. Might be a constuction worker hooked up with a coin collector in the heist? The thieves did not get the super good stuff thanfully, as that was in a different safe, but it will probably be sold to buy new inventory. The safe that was broken into was a built vault approx 10 foot by 12 foot 8 or 10 foot high. Concrete was at least 12 inches on the top. I hate thieves, the law is way to light on punishment of those caught. I have been ripped off in the past. I have a lot of rent property and thieves have cost me a bundle for the little money they recieve from the heist. Last year i had multiple outside air conditioners destroyed for 20 bucks worth of aluminum and copper.

taropatch99 · May 19, 2008 7:26PM

No doubt the scum received inside info on the vault specs and location. Reminds me of the James Caan movie, "Thief".
Don't be surprised if they try to sell the stuff in another part of the country. Here's an Ohio job, where the scum tried to sell the coins in Florida. Ironically, the Florida shop owner who helped bust the thieves was himself robbed this spring.

Sorry but I don't know how to embed URL links, but this is the link to the story:

http://www.coincommunity.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=30125

ricko · May 19, 2008 8:21PM

Please keep us posted on this item...let us know when/if it is resolved. Cheers, RickO

slipgate · May 19, 2008 9:25PM

"I like a clean window danny"

morgansforever · May 19, 2008 9:34PM

<<They cut the security camera lines and disabled the system.>>

Sounds like professionals at work, or the guy who installed the security system.

Some some guy looking for dope money, probably not.

Hope they are caught, and prosecuted.

coindudeonebay · May 19, 2008 9:40PM

That blows, I did a deal with Ron at last years TNA, I believe that's where I know him from. Best of luck on the recovery of the items, although I know it will be tough.

Michigan · May 19, 2008 11:10PM

Michigan is kind of retired from the reporting business, other people are getting to the stories faster than I am these days.

Anyway, for old times sake here is the news story that basically repeats what has already been reported.

More than $200,000 in rare coins was gone in a flash.

The coin heist happened in the middle of the night at a business in the 8000 block of Camp Bowie West in Benbrook.

"They were $1,000 - $3,000 a piece," said Ron Swiney, the coin seller. "They knew exactly what they were looking for I think."

Police say the thieves came in through the ceiling, drilling through rebar and 8 inches of concrete into the vault.

"Then they got in there drilling a hole through the top of the safe with a rotor hammer drill," Swiney said. "I think it probably took about three or four hours to drill that hole out of there."

The thieves appeared to be in quite a frenzy. Any coins dropped were left behind.

"They missed this one," Swiney said, holding a coin worth $35,000. "It's the rarest coin of the Morgan Dollars, and it's not in very good shape."

His only insurance was a surveillance camera. But the thieves cut it.

"I figured sooner or later it would happen. Been lucky for 6 and a half years basically," said Swiney.

Now he wants other coin dealers to be on the lookout. He certainly will be.

"I'm an ex-police officer and I'd just love to catch them," he said.

Swiney is hoping for a break from a tipster. Anyone who may have seen something suspicious on the 8100 block of Camp Bowie Road is asked to call police.

COINB0Y · May 19, 2008 11:12PM

That's someone in the know that did that. I hope it is easy to solve.

crispy · May 19, 2008 11:31PM

<< Reminds me of the James Caan movie, "Thief". >>

That's exactly what came to mind when I read about this.

Jcarney · May 19, 2008 11:56PM

<< The thieves did not get the super good stuff thanfully, as that was in a different safe... >>

hey, that's great...and now it's public knowledge.

ScarsdaleCoin · May 20, 2008 12:46AM

First, a real bummer, hope they catch the guys and send them away for a long time

next, glad no one was hurt...thats a bright side....

Michagan...dont retire.... we need your award winning reporting... for example in the 1st post it said an hour to get in.... I thought that's pretty quick, your story corrects that and shows 4 hours to break in...

as I have said before.... no safe will keep everyone out, they are time delay devices... the longer it takes the more chance they get caught.... a shame that the security was just 1 camera....

NOTE to all shop owners.... review your security NOW, not after the horse is out of the gate

hopefully inventory list can be posted and some of these items will turn up, in the process perps

yellowjacket · May 20, 2008 1:10AM

Can we get a posting of the stolen items here on the boards??? Thieves will need buyers. And if they sell to an informed dealer/collector, we may be able to assist.

BTW, is Camp Bowie Blvd. still made of bricks??? My childhood was spent in that area in the 1950's.

Garrow

Coxe · May 20, 2008 1:24AM

There's little excuse for not catching the perps here. No way you can hammer through 10" of still fresh concrete and not have it all over with traces detectable by dogs for miles of the escape. Should also have had a couple layers of 1/4" welded steel plates all the way around, with holes just for conduits. That would slow them down a lot. Even better is to just use Relastan.

I wonder how much his vault cost to build. Some fraction of that $200K.

Yes, probably an inside job or the owner was to proud of his vault and told somebody about it.

19Lyds · May 20, 2008 1:38AM

Perhaps motion detectors would have alerted the authorities or are these a thing of the past?

I just find it incredibly difficult to believe that someone was not alerted to all that noise in the middle of the night? Rotor Hammer Drills are not the quietest piece of equipment to operate.

pennyannie · May 20, 2008 1:41AM

Coxe- The door to the vault was 4500 dollars and the rest of the vault was approx 15k.

Shoulda, coulda, woulda is always a second guessing game. The chances of someone breaking in and spending time drilling thru 12 inches of concrete is always slim. I am surprised there was not a steel plate myself. I will ask if the safe was built to the standards he thought or paid for. I doubt that the crooks get caught from selling the loot, more likely from talking and telling others of the caper. I figure the bulk will get melted or has already been melted.

Jcarney · May 20, 2008 1:45AM

<< I figure the bulk will get melted or has already been melted. >>

Well, that's strange. In a previous post, the owner said "They were $1,000 - $3,000 a piece," said Ron Swiney, the coin seller. "They knew exactly what they were looking for I think."

Why would they melt $1,000-$3,000 coins?

ca0100000 · May 20, 2008 1:46AM

http://cbs11tv.com/video/?id=28438@ktvt.dayport.com

dac076 · May 20, 2008 1:53AM

His only insurance was a surveillance camera.

Can that be taken literally?

Coxe · May 20, 2008 1:57AM

<< http://cbs11tv.com/video/?id=28438@ktvt.dayport.com >>

Thanks for the video link. 3-4 hours? Bull. That concrete was green. A pick and sledgehammer could get through it. The rebar mat was too loose too. Easy to detech through 4" of fresh cement (2" actually to the rebar from the top!) and target the hammer. A person can fit through a 12" tied mat. That was structural and not with any security in mind. Actually it should have been a double mat and thicker. There also is no vapor barrier present. Just paint there. Presumably DryLock, but I wouldn't put coins in a box like that. The construction looks like it was cheaped out to ordinary concrete builders (probably using day laborers in turn) and not anyone who builds safes.

<< His only insurance was a surveillance camera.

Can that be taken literally? >>

Yep, then I am sure he cheaped out.

19Lyds · May 20, 2008 2:15AM

I could argue that the concrete was not green friends. I just happened across one of those "How they Make it" shows on a PBS channel and the Diebold company precasts the concrete used in their safes thereby insuring that the concrete walls are fully cured before assembly.

I was totally unaware that the concrete used for these safes was NOT poured on the job and that the concrete is NOT your typical sidewalk stuff but is impregnated with additional reinforcement such as steel shards.

As for the video link, now everybody knows what the inside of the safe looks like and what inventory is left. Like that $3,500 coin. Looked like an 1893-S Morgan.

Edited to add, obviously this wasn't a Diebold safe or maybe it was, I surely don't know. The reinforcing does look a little scant.

Zoins · May 20, 2008 2:15AM

<< The door to the vault was 4500 dollars and the rest of the vault was approx 15k. >>

I wonder if that $20k will be refunded.

I also wonder what was purchased is the same as what was recommended, if anything?

Coxe · May 20, 2008 2:21AM

<< I could argue that the concrete was not green friends. I just happened across one of those "How they Make it" shows on a PBS channel and the Diebold company precasts the concrete used in their safes thereby insuring that the concrete walls are fully cured before assembly.

I was totally unaware that the concrete used for these safes was NOT poured on the job and that the concrete is NOT your typical sidewalk stuff but is impregnated with additional reinforcement such as steel shards.

As for the video link, now everybody knows what the inside of the safe looks like and what inventory is left. Like that $3,500 coin. Looked like an 1893-S Morgan. >>

If the structure is a standard size, you can use a precast slab....or wait. I would doubt Diebold uses a 12x12 mesh rebar mat (perhaps a generous estimate from that shot considering the thickness is 8") for their safes. It is possible, even probable that the ceiling was precast and craned on. It is still not a security grade construction. I still think the concrete is relatively green. There are not bold hammer bit marks. Looks like it crumbled a bit. The thieves also had the advantage of gravity on their side.

19Lyds · May 20, 2008 2:24AM

Doesn;t look like a 12x12 rebar mesh from the photo I added.

19Lyds · May 20, 2008 2:26AM

It's really too bad that these scum walk amongst us. I never could stomach an individual that steals from someone else.

Coxe · May 20, 2008 2:27AM

<< Doesn;t look like a 12x12 rebar mesh from the photo I added. >>

Nope. I cringe to even guess what they used. Also not centered but about 2" from the top. The door also is a fire-rated one and not TL-rated from my estimation. They are great for tornado shelters though too, as long as they are installed to open in and not out.

AlixTCat · May 20, 2008 4:00AM

<< Coxe- The door to the vault was 4500 dollars and the rest of the vault was approx 15k.

Shoulda, coulda, woulda is always a second guessing game. The chances of someone breaking in and spending time drilling thru 12 inches of concrete is always slim. I am surprised there was not a steel plate myself. I will ask if the safe was built to the standards he thought or paid for. I doubt that the crooks get caught from selling the loot, more likely from talking and telling others of the caper. I figure the bulk will get melted or has already been melted. >>

I think it was 8".
They were not intending to "melt" the coins or they would not have taken only the high dollar stuff. They knew what they were doing and probably already had a buyer(s) lined up before they did the job. No one puts that much effort into a burglary just to melt high dollar coins or to TRY to sell it later. They already had a buyer, I'm pretty certain. Probably the one who funded the whole effort.

Jonathan

ca0100000 · May 20, 2008 4:11AM

Rooftop burglaries are common. Sometimes crooks will cut out a wall or drive a stolen car into the side of a building. Hard to think no alarms went off, unless he didn't have one.

AlixTCat · May 20, 2008 4:15AM

<< Rooftop burglaries are common. Sometimes crooks will cut out a wall or drive a stolen car into the side of a building. Hard to think no alarms went off, unless he didn't have one. >>

You have to wonder about people who are smart enough to install a "safe" but don't contract with ADT or some such alarm company.
Theoretically a coin shop should be able to leave all the merchandise out in the store, set the alarm and sleep well at night.
We deal in very valuable document storage and we have an alarm on the building and another one on the vault.
I can't believe this guy did not have an alarm system, but obviously he did not.

Jonathan

SilverBaron · May 20, 2008 4:43AM

After looking at the video.... his second "safe" is a simple 2 door fire rated document/media safe.

2 men.... 2 crowbars ( or 1 pallet jack ) and 10 minutes later... no coins.

NEVER buy a 2 door safe.
NEVER keep anything you value in a fire safe.
NEVER buy a safe that is rated LESS than TRTL-30 x 6.

seatedcoins · May 20, 2008 6:01AM

<< Can we get a posting of the stolen items here on the boards??? Thieves will need buyers. And if they sell to an informed dealer/collector, we may be able to assist.

BTW, is Camp Bowie Blvd. still made of bricks??? My childhood was spent in that area in the 1950's.

Garrow >>

It is still made of bricks.

Silverstate · May 20, 2008 6:12AM

<< A job of this intensive labor and booty will be bragged about by the guilty, loose lips sink the ship. I look forward to the guilty's demise.

>>

pennyannie · May 20, 2008 8:06AM

Reguardless of how it was built the door was not left open and it took some work to break into it. Those that said there was already a buyer could be right, but i still think the gold will be melted. Most of the gold stolen was just common unslabbed Liberty's, saints, french roosters etc. I know a little more about what was actually taken and you can't always believe what you read. In my opinion the store was better secured than most of the coin shops i have been in. The entire front had a roll up type of steel blinds that were raised and lowered everyday, They could be left in the down position and opened like a mini- blind. Steel posts were installed front and rear to cut down on the chance of a drive in. There was originally a hallway running the entire length of the stip center in the back that was reworked before they moved to secure that point of entry. From the top of the safe to the roof was at least 12 feet. The concrete was 10 inches and not 12 like i posted in my second post. After thinking about it the front metal mini blinds were probably a plus to the crooks since they were closed tight.

The actual store was in a finger of Benbrook city limits and the police pressence has always been high in that area for years.

ca0100000 · May 20, 2008 8:26AM

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/052108dnmetbenbrook.102ad40f.html
A Benbrook rare coin dealer said he lost up to $200,000 worth of old coins and jewelry after someone broke into his shop by cutting through the roof and drilling into his vault.

Whoever robbed the Ron Swiney Rare Coin Shop dropped a rare 1893 coin valued at $35,000 on the way out the door, Ron Swiney said.

The break-in occurred sometime late Sunday or early Monday. Police were called to the store around 9 a.m. Monday.

“They went around our alarm system some way or another,” Mr. Swiney said.

The robber or robbers took several old coins and pieces of gold jewelry. Mr. Swiney said he moves some of his most valuable pieces to the safe after hours and he doesn’t believe it was a random robbery.

“It was just my time to get hit,” he said.

Police say they are investigating every possible angle.

“Obviously we want to look at other cities and similar types of offenses to see if we can come up with any type of information,” said Lt. Mike Ford of the Benbrook police.

Police estimated the loss at $175,000, but Mr. Swiney said it could have topped $200,000. He is not insured.

“Insurance is ridiculous in price and when something happens they don’t want to pay for it,” he said. “It’s like your house burning down and having no insurance.”

Mr. Swiney said he had spent $10,000 installing his safe. Workers arrived at the store Tuesday to reinforce his security.

Mr. Swiney said he is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.

Looks like he did have an alarm.

19Lyds · May 20, 2008 9:56AM

The coin shown in the attached video I suspect was an 1893-S Morgan he had priced at $3,500. He did refer to it as the rarest of the Morgan dollar just not in very good shape.

Perhaps the writer had added 1 too many zero's.

19Lyds · May 20, 2008 9:58AM

And the numbers keep getting bigger and bigger!

Frankcoins · May 20, 2008 12:56PM

"no alarm system"

"fresh concrete"

Isn't it amazing how people speculate when they have no information?

Yes he had a professionally monitored alarm system. And yes, professional
burglars know how to disable them. The most expensive systems are also
the most vulnerable, since anything you can use to monitor over the internet
can be DISABLED over the internet.

The concrete roof was original to 1962, when the building was built as "Tandy Town"
the home of the original Radio Shack world headquarters after Charles Tandy bought the
9-store Boston chain and added it to his family Tandy Leather business.

The relative sturdiness of the building encouraged a jewelry store and a second location
of Fort Worth's R.E. Wallace to locate there in the 1960s.

Coxe · May 20, 2008 1:12PM

What he had was not a safe though. It was a room with a safe door, and looks like a fire-rated (as opposed to burglary-rated) one at that. The rebar mat was not designed to prevent intrusion, just expansion/contraction cracks. The concrete was not thick enough. The room was not reinforced for security. Yes, professional thieves know how to get around alarm systems, even ones with heartbeats. Feel sorry for the guy and hope he gets his merchandise back anyway.

Frankcoins · May 22, 2008 7:49AM

<< 

<< Can we get a posting of the stolen items here on the boards??? Thieves will need buyers. And if they sell to an informed dealer/collector, we may be able to assist.

BTW, is Camp Bowie Blvd. still made of bricks??? My childhood was spent in that area in the 1950's.

Garrow >>

It is still made of bricks. >>

Camp Bowie ended about where the old Levitz furniture store is. Old Highway 80 was renamed
"Camp Bowie West" a couple of years ago, which extends out to the old Jack Williams (now Moritz)
Chevrolet location. This renamed part is not brick. Swiney's shop was on this renamed part, a couple
of blocks west of Sutherland Lumber.

Local dealer robbed of 200k plus

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