A Calgary coin dealer has fallen victim to a substantial theft just six months after opening his doors as Lakeview Coin & Currency in the city’s southwest end.
Dealer Mike Smith, who launched his business in January, believes multiple people broke through the back door of his store – at 6449 Crowchild Trail S.W. #103 – on the night of July 5 or the early morning of the following day. On July 6, he reported to police more than $10,000 in stolen inventory from one heavy safe that was also taken from the store.
A collector for 35 years before opening his store earlier this year, Smith called the theft “a big hit to me,” adding he may be forced to close his doors but will first try to “make a go out of it.”
He believes multiple people stole the safe – which weighs about 450 kilograms, plus whatever was held inside – because it’s unlikely one person could have carried it or lifted it onto the industrial dolly found outside the back door following the theft. The culprits would have needed a large enough vehicle to hold the heavy-duty safe, he added.
STOLEN COINS
The majority of the items stolen from Lakeview Coin & Currency in early July are mint coins issued by the Royal Canadian Mint or other world mints.
The items, with estimated values provided by Smith, include:
- a 1980 Johnson Matthey & Engelhard set of one-ounce gold and silver pieces featuring a beaver (valued at $2,800);
- 20 RCM military-themed collector coins in a case (valued at $2,000);
- 10 RCM silver proof dollars in Mint boxes (valued at $1,000);
- 10 RCM one-ounce silver animal coins in a Mint box (valued at $1,000);
- a 2020 five-ounce silver “Hummingbird and the Bloom” coin (valued at $1,000);
- a 2021 Niue $5 two-ounce silver “Shaolin Kung Fu” coin with a Swarovski crystal (valued at $800);
- a pair of two-ounce Egyptian coins, one featuring a cat and another with a bird (each valued at $500);
- a pair of two-ounce Star Wars coins (valued at $500);
- 10 RCM silver sets dated from 1960-67 in plastic (valued at $400);
- a 10-coin RCM set of proof silver coins issued for the 1988 Calgary Olympics (valued at $350);
- one two-ounce Star Trek coin (valued at $350);
- 15 coin and banknote sets issued in 1967 for Canada’s Centennial (valued at $350);
- a 2014 set of Marvel Avengers-themed silver coins featuring Thor, Hulk, Captain America and Iron Man, each packaged in an individual box (valued at $70); and
- about 30 other RCM coins yet to be recorded into Lakeview’s inventory.
Anyone with information should contact Smith at 1-403-879-5255 (toll-free 1-833-742-5255) or the Calgary Police Service at 403-266-1234 or bit.ly/3jMERdg.