My childhood experience with 'gypsies'
1630Boston
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As a small boy, growing up a a 500 acre family dairy farm, when I was misbehaving my grandfather would tell me to be careful or he would let the gypsies take me.
This instilled fear as I really didn't know what he was talking about.
Over the years talking with my mother I came to learn that when she was a little girl [early 1900's], groups of 'gypsies' would make there way through town. Children would be told to stay indoors. The 'gypsies' would pass through the farm taking a few things such as a couple of chickens, maybe a goat, and maybe some tools and other supplies.
Nobody would say a word and they would leave onto their next stop.
Just a rambling memory I had reading all of the theft posts here.
Boston 
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The Gypsy's (Romani people) have long been persecuted in Europe and here... And they have been accused of child theft, but mostly just theft of goods as they travel on their endless journey. Cheers, RickO
Kind of like opossums I guess, always on the move and no place to call home.
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Years ago when I worked in a small independent grocery store the store was robbed of mostly cash when a group of 8 or 9 gypsy's came in. Some created a distraction away from the front office when the others broke in and took cash, food stamps, and some checks. It was all over in a matter of about 3 minutes. As I recall the police acknowledged that there was a group in the area moving through.
There was (is?) an encampment of "Travelers" north west of Fort Worth. Several years ago, there was a major wreck, killed 5. They never did figure out the true identities of the people, as the birth certificates were not 'matching" the people in the truck, and the community just closed ranks against any investigation.
My wife's grandmother got hit by them several years ago. A group knocked on the door, told her she was getting new carpet from the government for her home, distracted her, led her around, etc. while a couple others cleaned out her few valuables.
To put this in perspective, she was in her 80's, lived in a tiny "shotgun" house (the house is so small you open the front door and fire a shotgun and it hits every room). on reservation land in rural Oklahoma. She had almost nothing, and had less afterward.
The gypsies stole my wallet in Prague. It was a neatly dressed middle aged couple making their way through a narrow hallway on the train, going the wrong direction and squeezing by a line of boarding passengers. It was all carefully planned as I realized later.
On my second trip to Prague I was more savvy, and I identified several members of a three-generation group of gypsies who boarded a street car and tried to work the crowd. One got caught trying to pickpocket someone and it was great drama as she tried to get away. She cried and screamed as she was pulled away from her apprehenders by her "family", some of whom stood outside smiling.
As far as I know they are not physically dangerous but do not have any issues with property crimes. This only applies to gypsies who are part of criminal gangs, which is obviously not all people of the "Roma" ethnicity.
You do not hear the term too much in the news lately.
“Flash Mob”
But do a search for “flash mob theft.”
Even better, add YT, to watch some news vids.
The romani style of “distraction thieving” is on-going by non-“gypsies,” too.
Edit: Typos. I would post a link, but it is TNTC, to numerous to count.
"Romani Style" is correct. It is also practiced in Romania, which borders Hungary. My maternal grandmother was 100% Hungarian. She was born in the Transylvania area which was later ceded to Romania as part of World War I reparations. She told of the fear and anguish that locals had when it was reported that Gypsies were in the area.
The Hungarian Gypsies are nomadic travelers. They have been plying their trade for hundreds of years.
Their skills were honed long ago, and passed on through generations to the current time. Their schooling is a birthright, and the level of their talents are a great honor among the Gypsy "clans".
You can't teach an old dog new tricks, but you most certainly can teach a new Gypsy old ones.
Pete
Anything I write about the simple solution to solve the problem of theft in a very short amount of time would be frowned upon. So, we'll need to live with the problem.
Personally, I don't remember this (too young) but I was told that a man snatched me from my young cousin in a South Philadelphia Park but he was stopped before he got out of the park with me. I always imagined that I would have been sold to a childless, and filthy-rich couple (
) but I see now it could have been much worse. 
My Grandpa always told us we would be taken away by tornados. I have been lucky.
There was a gate post at the end of his lane (which was located right on U.S. Route 66) and I think the gate post had some 'hobos' marks' scratched on it.
A Hobo was an honorable transient. A Bum was not. Depression Era Hobos rode the rails looking for work. If a Hobo would find a house that was receptive to him, a mark was left as a sign to let others know.
It worked in reverse also. If a house was not receptive, there was a different mark left to alert everyone to move on.
You got yourself some history there, Bill.
Pete
But what kind of marks did he earn?
@BuffaloIronTail My Grandma and Grandpa kinda subscribed to Hebrews 13:2 (many have entertained angels unaware) so the marks were probably good marks.
I read somewhere that "hobo" came from "hoe boy". During the depression the hobo would stop at a farm house and ask for food. In exchange for a meal the home owner would ask him to do a few chores and would frequently hand him a hoe and require him to hoe the weeds in the family vegetable garden in exchange for a meal.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
My PAWN SHOP experience with them got me the "evil eye" from one of them who was HABITUALLY late paying.
Legally....title passed to ME.... on the 11th day.
AFTER sending a 10 day notice.
Well, for some reason I cut slack maybe 3-4 times and ...finally.... told him when he brought in his junk that THIS time....IF....he was late PAST the notice period, I would NOT sell, give, throw, or in any way convey the crap BACK to him.
Soooooooooooooooo.......(you're already ahead of me
)
Late.... WAYYYY late.... Sob story. "Chee, bozz, I rand oudda munny cuz I bod tu minny carz diz munt."
Oh yeah? Well you should have bought one less car.
HOOO boy! Up and down in front of the cases going nuts. Then the EVIL EYE.... (oh no) and the statement that it was a "gud tink yu godz dat gun on yer beld."
That's interesting
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I thought it came from nickels.
Sorry. I'm through now.
Thank you. Now go hit the Like button on my post.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
Gypsies / Roma people have a very bad reputation in Slovakia for reasons described above.
"Seu cabra da peste,
"Sou Mangueira......."
Seriously? Nobody thinks this thread is offensive at all?
I don't know about gypsies, but I can tell you about thieves and marauders.
Well, look what they did to poor ol' Lon Chaney!
My grandma (born 1901, Camden, Indiana) was actually taken by gypsies for some minutes/hours.
But her dad chased them down and got her back.
My aunt threatened to send me and my cousin to China.
It worked.
Lon Chaney the actor?
Ha, They got my cell phone and the money out of my wallet in Prague. Still to this day amazes me how they were able to pickpocket my cash but leave the wallet in my pocket. I had my passport on me as well, just glad they didn't get that. Czech police everywhere but for whatever reasons they were not the least bit concerned. Not a fun evening.
And as you stated above not all people from Romania are gypsies.
The whole worlds off its rocker, buy Gold™.
BOOMIN!™
Wooooha! Did someone just say it's officially "TACO™" Tuesday????
Informative thread. Thank you.
I read somewhere that gypsies believe they can steal at will because according to their heritage they stole the golden spike that would have killed Christ, and therefore would have prevented his resurrection. According to their belief, God in-turn looks the other way from theft as a sin for gypsies because of allowing his sons resurrection. Something like that....
That's heavy....never heard that before
But every night all the men would come around...
And lay their money down
First I heard of that one. What is right and what is wrong seems not to bother them.
Strange lineage for sure,
Pete
Please explain why you believe that. It is no more than an attempt to explain or understand why some people act the way they do.
Pete
If 5 people comment here and say so, I will remove my post.
If 1 Moderator from PCGS agrees, I don't mind if they remove this.
JMO but I was just relating something from long ago, that still holds true [in light of current occurrences] even though it does not cast aspersions on any particular "people".
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I was waiting for someone to take offense.
To me, it has just been an informative discussion of actual experiences involving a specific group which lives by an alternate moral code. Everyone acknowledges that this does not apply to any general ethnicity or nationality.
BTW, it is coin related in that it was prompted by a ring that was robbing banks and coin shops.
"Please explain why you believe that. It is no more than an attempt to explain or understand why some people act the way they do."
Replace "gypsy" with another race or nationality and see where you end up.
I'm not offended (put me in the "don't care either way" category), it just seems unwise (and a bit dated) to cast aspersions on a particular group, especially on a board about coins and not a board about anthropology. Seems like a good way to get banned.
I think we are casting aspersions on a particular group of thieves.
Either way I did not mean to stir anything up,
PS I did say that it was in the early 1900's, so my recollection IS dated.
BUT with everything else going on let's move on to numismatics [coins].
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