A $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of three thieves is being offered by Waterdown, Ont.’s Longley Auctions following the theft upwards of three boxes of philatelic material.
The theft occurred on Oct. 29 at 5:45 p.m. at a condo unit parking garage in Bronte, Ont. as the dealer’s stock was being unloaded and returned to the residence. The van was parked and locked in an underground parking garage with 24-hour security and video surveillance, according to Bill Longley, owner of Longley Auctions, who has collected extensive video evidence. Forensic police scientists also attended the scene to collect evidence shortly after the theft.
Two thieves entered through the parking garage door and proceeded straight to the vehicle, the locks of which were punched before two or three boxes of philatelic material were stolen.
BOX ONE: WORLDWIDE STAMPS
The first box is a clear plastic container measuring about nine inches by 14 inches by seven inches and containing worldwide foreign countries – “very little if any British Commonwealth,” according to Longley – listed alphabetically from Gabon to Luxembourg.
The stamps were large-size items, including strips, blocks, souvenir sheets, mostly modern and mint issues from the 1980s through to 2014. The stamps are in Unitrade #F115A, seven-inch-by-five-inch approval cards made from manila paper with a clear plastic front. The descriptions include country and catalogue number hand-written at upper left with catalogue value filled in and price left blank. Some items were also inside a clear glassine envelope inside each approval card.
BOX TWO: CANADA POSTAL HISTORY
The second box is a grey, plastic box measuring about nine inches by 14 inches by seven inches and containing Canadian postal history. It may have contained a mixture of covers, and #10 size covers, including mostly cheaper items in the $5 to $25 range. These boxes are distinctive with grey vertical ridges on the sides and a lid with raised corners to help stack.
A third plastic box containing worldwide stamps may have also been taken. Further information will be forwarded following video review.
SUSPECT DESCRIPTIONS
The suspects are described as follows:
- A person measuring 5′ 10″ with an Asian appearance, black hair, medium build, black quilted puff ski jacket, “GAP” hat, white or beige pants, brown shoes and earbuds (see bottom-left photo).
- A person measuring 6′ with a Caucasian or possibly Asian appearance, black hair, thin build, black jacket, black pants and shoes, black toque and white t-shirt (see bottom-right photo).
- A third person driving a small grey four-door sedan was also involved (see top photo).
While the images provided by Longley were taken from a smartphone, police have been provided with high-quality images from the video surveillance.
A police report has been filed, and additional investigative methods are underway based on the crime scene visit.
If you have any information, contact Halton Police officer Gillian Clarke at 905-825-4747 (extension 2205) or gillian.clarke@haltonpolice.ca with File #17-369921, or contact Bill Longley at bill@longleyauctions.com or 905-690-3598.