A “PRICELESS” coin collection and other precious artifacts in the trust of Sefton Council are feared to have been stolen from the public.

Council bosses admit they have no idea what has become of the Dethick-Brown collection of rare Roman coins, which was housed at the Botanic Gardens Museum, and have reported the loss to the police. A host of other items including rare Victorian and early American coins, Egyptian antiquities, oil paintings and birds’ eggs are said to be missing or damaged.

Tory candidate for Meols ward in the May elections, Mike Swift, has accused public officials of being “asleep at the wheel”. At the Southport Area Committee last Wednesday he asked for reassurance that efforts would be made to find the missing items.

Mr Swift was told about the missing artifacts by coin expert Alan Dawson, secretary of Ormskirk and West Lancs Numismatic Society, who reported the apparent loss of the Dethick-Brown collection to the council in November.

His reply from head of leisure services, John Taylor, said: “Despite a thorough search of the museum and the art gallery, the strong rooms at Bootle and Southport Town Halls and enquires made at other museums likely to have been interested in borrowing it at the time, the collection has not been found. Read full Champion Newspapers Article

A Central Ohio customer of SIMCO Numismatics, who wishes to remain anonymous, was burglarized a few days before Christmas. The large in-house safe was removed intact. In addition to cash, a substantial amount of jewelry, numerous coins, (some very rare and unique), were stolen. A partial listing includes:

Date Denom. Grading Svc. Grade Cert #

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A chest of antique coins worth up to £300,000 was stolen by a gang in a sting on two auctioneers as they drove away from a exhibition centre.

Experts fear that the collection, which featured two gold coins of priceless historical value, could have been melted down. One of the coins can be dated back to 1826 and was worth up to £35,000.

The gang of about six men and two women targeted two men from Dix Noonan Webb, the auctioneer, in South Kensington, London, when the coins had been displayed at Earl’s Court Exhibition Centre. It is believed that the gang sabotaged the men’s car and followed them from the centre. (more…)