Notice ...    Stolen Items      Notice...

We received this email from subscriber and contributor Bob R.  who is stationed in *************.  A notice will be in the next issue of American Digger to help alert folks to be on the look out if someone unknown or suspicious approaches you with these items for sale.

Please help spread the word by forwarding to anyone you may know who deals in relics and may be approached to purchase these.

It is a sad for Bob to loose a lifetime of relics he has collected (most of them dug by him) while he is serving our country.

Thanks,

Anita Holcombe
Marketing Director
American Digger Magazine
 

Sent: Wednesday, February 20, 2008 10:39 AM

Subject: Powhatan Flea Market: Stolen artifacts

A suspect has been arrested in the theft of artifacts from the Gil and Bob Roach collection. Some of the items have been recovered.  Most are still missing.

The artifacts that were recovered were bought by a person at a flea market in Powhatan.  That person did not know the items were stolen.  It is my understanding, based on a phone conversation five minutes ago with detective Henshaw, that all items this gentleman had purchased at the flea market have been returned to my father.

Still missing are three Civil War canteens; a very large cannon ball; a U.S. box plate; spurs; intact Civil War metallic cartridges, a large number of Civil War buttons (mostly Union, but some Confederate) hundreds of excavated British and Roman coins; a German WWII belt buckle; Japanese and American WWII buttons, coins, dog tags and a medal; and misc other Civil War and WWII artifacts.

These items, like the ones that have been recovered, might have been sold at a flea market in Powhatan earlier this month. If you saw these items, or if you know who purchased these, or if you purchased these yourself, please contact detective Henshaw directly at the Chesterfield County Police.  His numbers are 804-706-2034 and 804-748-1268.  His email address is HenshawS@chesterfield.gov.  Obviously, no one will be in legal trouble for having unknowingly purchased items that were stolen; we're only interested in getting them back.

Please help me get the word out.

Thanks very much,

Bob R

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am writing this from overseas.  My elderly father contacted me this morning to notify me that a variety of artifacts have been stolen from a storage unit he is renting in Chesterfield County, Virginia.  All items were stolen between 0930 on 30 January and 0930 on 31 January.  Some of these items I’ve had since I was around 12 years old.

Definitely missing are:

Several flat display cases of Union and Confederate buttons. (Dug by me and my father in the early and mid 70s)

One flat display case containing a beautiful U.S. boxplate and five or six New York buttons (all dug from the same hole in the mid 70s) 

Two or three flat display cases containing American and Japanese buttons, coins, collar devices, dog tags, and at least one medal. (All dug in the Philippines in the mid 80s)

At least two, and possibly three, Civil War canteens.

One small Parrott Shell, purchased in the 70s

One small Schenkl Shell, purchased in the 70s

One very large, very heavy round Union Naval Ball, with a very nice “USN” fuse.  If memory serves, this fuse is also stamped “1862”. (Dug near Fort Powhatan, Virginia in 1979).

One rare, side-loaded Confederate Read shell.  (Dug in Spotsylvania, Virginia, 2001)

A large number of Roman and old British (1700s and 1800s) coins (Dug in England between 1991 and 1994).

Possibly also missing (these might be in storage elsewhere):

Approximately a dozen Civil War and WWII bayonets.  The WWII ones are both dug and non-dug American, German and Japanese bayonets.

Three or four battlefield-pickup WWII American and Japanese canteens.

Several dozen clay pipe bowls and hundreds of pieces of broken clay pipe stems

Three or four inert/deactivated WWII grenades

Numerous “bullets in wood,” Civil War artillery fuses of various types, friction primers, gun tools, and other miscellaneous Civil War items.

Also stolen were one or two flat display cases of intact Spencer, Burnside and Henry cartridges.

I ask that you please contact the Chesterfield County Police immediately if anyone shows this collection, or attempts to sell this collection, or any part of it, to you.  Please contact the Chesterfield police (Detective Henshaw 804-706-2034)  if you hear of anything, or if you have any leads at all concerning this theft.  Lastly, I ask that you please, please help spread the word about my stolen artifacts.  I am sending this from the U.S. Embassy in ***********, so it is difficult for me to contact all the dealers and collectors stateside who might by chance come in contact with my stolen property.

Thanks very much,

Bob R