Advice/Sleuths Needed: Large personal LEGO collection Stolen

[BrickStanley74]

Hey All....First things first, Mods please move this to wherever it should live if I've dropped this in the wrong thread....

So yep, the unthinkable has happened. About 2 weeks ago I discovered that most of my LEGO collection has been stolen. About 30-40 large plastic storage tubs (the ones from Walmart) with roughly 400+ BNIB LEGO sets...stolen, no less, from the padlocked attic of my rental property.

Damn, it really sucks writing that. And I'll confess straight up... I should have been a lot more vigilant. We moved from our old house in early 2017 and the last I saw of my collection was when I attached the padlock to the attic and told our rental company that this our personal storage and was off-limits to any potentiaI renters. I honestly thought my collection would be safe in my property. That was, in hindsight, absolutely naive on my part, and please, I'm not looking to get flamed here on the "what you should have's etc...."  I know. I screwed up.

There's been 2 rental occupants of this house from June 2017 until now. The first tenants stayed through July of this year. Our second tenants moved in mid-August this year. They broke the lease (I won't go into reasons) and moved out Dec. 29th. I wish I could say that I opened up the attic to check that my collection was still  there after the first tenants moved out and before the second tenants moved in. Alas, I did not. I screwed up.  Long story short....our first tenants were wonderful and we had no issues whatsoever. The second tenants, not so. Without going into detail I heavily suspect that it is these second tenants that have purloined my collection.

So here I am. Just looking for some advice really. It has been reported to the police, and they are supposed to be "investigating" but nothing has really transpired yet. I've been keeping tabs on all the usual places (Ebay, Facebook, Craigslist etc...) to see if any suspicious lots pop up for sale. I'm not sure if the thieves would go the route of a bulk sale or try to sell it individually. Either way, there were some pretty rare sets that would raise some red flags if I noticed them for sale locally.

I'm in the Hampton Roads part of Virginia. Suffolk, VA to be specific....although my property where the collection was stolen from was in Portsmouth, VA. Zip code 23704.

Like I said previously, there was at least 30+ of the large 45 gallon plastic storage bins in total. As well as a lot of random sets and promo items, and a large smattering of various Star Wars/DC/Marvel sets...I had collected fully complete sets of the following series:

POTC, Dino, Harry Potter (2010), Ninjago Series 1 (Red) and 2 (Green), Lone Ranger, Pharaoh Quest, Kingdoms (2010), LOTR, The Hobbit, Monster Fighters, Atlantis.....and a few others.

I would be extremely appreciative for any insight and advice from any and all of you. If any members live near to or reside in my vicinity...or if any of you are into buying up large bulk set offerings or have any suggestions on people or businesses that might be able to assist me in any way shape or form, I would truly be grateful. 

Thank-you in advance.

Andrew aka BrickStanley74

 

[Pseudoty]

Did you check eBay for sold listings in your area like you said unlikely but worth a shot. You could make a Wanted listing on Craigslist perhaps just for some of the old HP sets and another for general buying bulk Lego and see if you get any responses and setup a buy. 

PM sent with another option. 

[Frank Brickowski]

43 minutes ago, Pseudoty said:

PM sent with another option. 

[iahawks550]

Proving theft will be difficult. Getting the sets back will be nearly impossible. My guess is they are being pawned, or they are sitting on them for awhile. 

We know it was your last renters. They probably have no money and other issues in their life (bad renters almost always fall into this category). So, even if they admit to stealing them, you most likely won't get them back. Restitution will be nearly impossible, too. I'm guessing they were non-paying renters? 

The entire situation sucks. 

[exciter1]

Sorry to hear this. I'll keep an eye out, but not really local to my area.

[marcandre]

I'm a couple hours away in Raleigh. I hit the flea markets and check CL, offerup, ect.. daily. Will keep an eye out. 

[BrickStanley74]

2 hours ago, Pseudoty said:

Did you check eBay for sold listings in your area like you said unlikely but worth a shot. You could make a Wanted listing on Craigslist perhaps just for some of the old HP sets and another for general buying bulk Lego and see if you get any responses and setup a buy. 

PM sent with another option. 

I've done a bit of ebay sleuthing but haven't noticed any red flags yet. I'll try the "Wanted" suggestion...if I get some responses maybe I could setup a sting as well!

 

2 hours ago, Frank Brickowski said:

If Peter Falk were still alive I'd get Columbo on the case too!

[JOEBRICK376]

DM'ing you. 

[BrickStanley74]

1 hour ago, iahawks550 said:

Proving theft will be difficult. Getting the sets back will be nearly impossible. My guess is they are being pawned, or they are sitting on them for awhile. 

We know it was your last renters. They probably have no money and other issues in their life (bad renters almost always fall into this category). So, even if they admit to stealing them, you most likely won't get them back. Restitution will be nearly impossible, too. I'm guessing they were non-paying renters? 

The entire situation sucks. 

My gut thinks they must be sitting on them too. If they are smart it definitely makes sense to lay low for a while. Then again, my wife reminds me that people are stupid. I know I've made my share of bad decisions in this whole situation. To answer your question though, they weren't non-paying renters - they were a navy family so that paycheck I'm assuming came from their rental allowance. They did pretty much trash the place though, and even tried to get their security deposit back! Without mentioning specifics they do also have a lot of issues in their life.

[CosmicSpeed]

Sorry about this. One can only assume that these were gone when the renters left. There is still the chance they offloaded these piecemeal to survive until they broke their lease. Hard to say without knowing anything about the tenants. Or, if there was issues like addiction, they could have just traded the sets for whatever their "needs" were. Just trying to think about all angles, not trying to being you down more.

Im a little further than marcandre, in Charlotte but I will keep a look out as well. Nothing rings a bell as of yet but my hope is that you have some good luck come your way.

Edited February 7, 2020 by CosmicSpeed

[BrickStanley74]

11 minutes ago, CosmicSpeed said:

Sorry about this. One can only assume that these were gone when the renters left. There is still the chance they offloaded these piecemeal to survive until they broke their lease. Hard to say without knowing anything about the tenants. Or, if there was issues like addiction, they could have just traded the sets for whatever their "needs" were. Just trying to think about all angles, not trying to being you down more.

Im a little further than marcandre, in Charlotte but I will keep a look out as well. Nothing rings a bell as of yet but my hope is that you have some good luck come your way.

Thanks Cosmic, appreciate the assistance and kind words. 

[river41]

 do you know where your tenants moved too?

if they moved to a different area then you should check the local listings in that area

 

also if you have any idea who the moving company is that moved these tenants i would try to contact them and see if they remember moving so many big big storage tubs

 

[BrickStanley74]

24 minutes ago, river41 said:

 do you know where your tenants moved too?

if they moved to a different area then you should check the local listings in that area

 

also if you have any idea who the moving company is that moved these tenants i would try to contact them and see if they remember moving so many big big storage tubs

 

The mother of the family has moved to somewhere in Texas I beleive. The older son of the family is apparently here in Norfolk, VA. I've since learned that he does have a storage unit locally which might be worth investigating into further. FWIW, my first tenants - who I could not even imagine being the culprits (though you never can be sure) have moved back to Connecticut.

[Ed Mack]

1 hour ago, BrickStanley74 said:

The mother of the family has moved to somewhere in Texas I beleive. The older son of the family is apparently here in Norfolk, VA. I've since learned that he does have a storage unit locally which might be worth investigating into further. FWIW, my first tenants - who I could not even imagine being the culprits (though you never can be sure) have moved back to Connecticut.

To me it would be looking at your inventory and seeing what is most rare and unique and then cross reference those with listings in the areas in Texas and Connecticut and wherever you think the ex-tenants went and could be people selling on eBay or Craigslist.  Look at what the sellers have as inventory and if they have a few sets in common with your inventory, maybe it can lead to something.  Obviously, they knew the value of the sets and will try to maximize return.  If they take their time, it will be hard.

You can even file a small claims court complaint against them and let them sweat a little and answer it.  Shake the tree as they say.  

[Kevink24]

Andrew, Sorry to hear about this...I cannot even imagine as it is a major bummer. Hang in there, hopefully something positive will come your way...or at the least, the culprits get caught.

[BrickStanley74]

2 hours ago, Ed Mack said:

To me it would be looking at your inventory and seeing what is most rare and unique and then cross reference those with listings in the areas in Texas and Connecticut and wherever you think the ex-tenants went and could be people selling on eBay or Craigslist.  Look at what the sellers have as inventory and if they have a few sets in common with your inventory, maybe it can lead to something.  Obviously, they knew the value of the sets and will try to maximize return.  If they take their time, it will be hard.

You can even file a small claims court complaint against them and let them sweat a little and answer it.  Shake the tree as they say.  

Cheers, Ed. I hadn't even considered that last strategy.

[Shortbus311]

I'm in Virginia Beach. I will keep a lookout as well. Let me know if there's anything else I can do to help.

[SLL]

sorry to hear that. I am nowhere near your place tho.

You may also want to check mercari as lego sales ramping up on that platform lately.

[exracer327]

I'm very sorry to hear this.  My son had all of his major sets stolen in transit when we last moved.  He was young enough at the time that at first he was just confused.  He couldn't comprehend why his sets were simply gone.  Thankfully we had insurance through the moving company and they paid for it. 

So what is your insurance for that property?  Sounds like you have a good inventory, hopefully some pics or at least receipts.  That could one avenue while pursuing the rest.  In fact, the insurance company might start their own investigation.

The other thought that occurred to me is if they are a Navy family, there might be a Navy / military exchanges that you should be checking as well.  I would think the cops would check this out, but I hear you on nothing happening.  I'm sure this is a low priority for them.

Praying for you!

[Cathy G]

Navy Exchanges don't sell used goods...they're more like mini-Walmarts with even better prices and no taxes. Probably not worth looking there, but it might be worth letting the Military Police at their next duty station know what's going on. They would likely be able to help if the family was living (or had a storage unit) on base...but it sounds like they were renting from you in town. Sorry this happened to you.

[LegoMan1212]

I don't have anything to contribute to the search, however, can not stress enough that everyone should have Insurance taken out on their collections.  Business or Personal just DO IT.  I believe it costs me about $25 a month for up to $50,000.  Also, this is a business expense that can be written off.

Best of luck in your search.  However, and this is awful to say this, but you might just want to have a beer and consider it gone forever and move on.  It might be better physiological in the long-run for you.  Life sucks sometimes and sometimes when you step away, something might pop up.  

Take care, I know it is devastating.  

EDIT: This is also one of my biggest fears. Not losing the collection, but having someone violate my families space and putting us at risk.  A reason why I have slowed down in keeping things in my home and moving nearly everything off-site. 

Edited February 7, 2020 by LegoMan1212

[BrickStanley74]

4 hours ago, exracer327 said:

I'm very sorry to hear this.  My son had all of his major sets stolen in transit when we last moved.  He was young enough at the time that at first he was just confused.  He couldn't comprehend why his sets were simply gone.  Thankfully we had insurance through the moving company and they paid for it. 

So what is your insurance for that property?  Sounds like you have a good inventory, hopefully some pics or at least receipts.  That could one avenue while pursuing the rest.  In fact, the insurance company might start their own investigation.

The other thought that occurred to me is if they are a Navy family, there might be a Navy / military exchanges that you should be checking as well.  I would think the cops would check this out, but I hear you on nothing happening.  I'm sure this is a low priority for them.

Praying for you!

So sorry to hear about your son's sets too. Just awful. Insurance wise I've been given the shaft too. Apparently the homeowners insurance I had only covered me if something was stolen that was deemed necessary for the running of a rental property. So...if my lawnmower had been stolen from the shed then that would be covered. All my LEGO.....apparently not. Even more salt to the wound

[BrickStanley74]

3 hours ago, LegoMan1212 said:

I don't have anything to contribute to the search, however, can not stress enough that everyone should have Insurance taken out on their collections.  Business or Personal just DO IT.  I believe it costs me about $25 a month for up to $50,000.  Also, this is a business expense that can be written off.

Best of luck in your search.  However, and this is awful to say this, but you might just want to have a beer and consider it gone forever and move on.  It might be better physiological in the long-run for you.  Life sucks sometimes and sometimes when you step away, something might pop up.  

Take care, I know it is devastating.  

EDIT: This is also one of my biggest fears. Not losing the collection, but having someone violate my families space and putting us at risk.  A reason why I have slowed down in keeping things in my home and moving nearly everything off-site. 

You're right, and as with all loss I've already been through a brief grieving process. At the end of the day though it is just plastic bricks.... And perspective is key. There's thousands upon thousands of people dealing with far worse situations than this. One of my best friends has been dealing with cancer and a brain tumour in her 6yr old boy for the past year. At the end of the day I can't feel too downtrodden. I will learn from this and move on. 

[Ed Mack]

On 2/7/2020 at 3:09 PM, BrickStanley74 said:

Cheers, Ed. I hadn't even considered that last strategy.

While it won't get back all your money, it will force them to come to court to answer the complaint.  If they choose not to come to court, a judgement can be placed against them that will follow them.  It might make it hard for them to get credit and go on their record.  If you feel that it's them, then it is often an effective way to annoy the crap out of them as well.

[steelmelt]

I would recommend hiring a private investigator to look into this due to the size of the loss.  The police aren't going to investigate this much if at all because it's going to be nearly impossible to prosecute and because frankly the Legos haven't been seen in years.  

Also check and see if there was a burglary at you're home you didn't know about.  You should be able to check with the police on this.  Maybe they were stolen during a crime that was reported already.  

You need to check local swap meets too.