Theft at SCG Sommerset NJ

[Arianrhod]

Fair, but a large portion of the MTG community/dealers know what has happened and the collection isn't just a bunch of standard cards that are hard to distinguish.

Hell, I got a text about the theft before 12:30 pm on Sunday and I am not exactly a priority contact. Everyone knows about this. anything they try to get rid of is going to be scrutinized.

This. Some of it is a regional bias -- Eli's a pretty big name in the legacy scene up this way, and anyone who's played Eli (or seen him play) knows that Eli's collection isn't like average peoples' collections.

Obviously the happy ending needs to happen, but part of me thinks that the thieves made a serious mistake by stealing Eli's stuff -- the specificity of it will make it a nightmare to get rid of, and basically everyone in the Northeast is looking out for it now.

[Oiolosse]

Well, if the collection is really worth that much then flying to Europe to dump some card board is a marginal expense.

Somebody else said it first, but a mobile safe for that amount of money is, like, necessary. I mean, if the collection was really worth 50k+ then why the hell not. Would you lock 50k dollars in cash in your trunk?? Fuck no, nowhere in the world would I do that. I wouldn't leave it in my car in my garage. I hope they find those fuckers though.

[Lemnear]

Well, if the collection is really worth that much then flying to Europe to dump some card board is a marginal expense.

Somebody else said it first, but a mobile safe for that amount of money is, like, necessary. I mean, if the collection was really worth 50k+ then why the hell not. Would you lock 50k dollars in cash in your trunk?? Fuck no, nowhere in the world would I do that. I wouldn't leave it in my car in my garage. I hope they find those fuckers though.

Maybe someone can offer pictures of the easy-to-spot miscuts/etc. so we can help having an eye on eBay or the European Sales market?

[Arsenal]

Lol @ the victim blaming in here. Dudes are like "what son? you didn't haul your stuff around in a Brinks armored truck? lmao, you deserved to have your stuff jacked!"... please.

[menace13]

Maybe someone can offer pictures of the easy-to-spot miscuts/etc. so we can help having an eye on eBay or the European Sales market?

Most likely mass dump of something that large in value would be BOM this week. Thousands of people there for eternal magic, most won't recognize the sellers, or the stolen cards.

[T-ORGANIZER]

So let me set this straight: A well-known trader takes his unsecured/undersecured Collection to an event for deals in the parking lot and the cards got stolen instead.

I'm sorry, but that behaviour is as irresponsible as handing weapons to kids and let them basically play with those without surveillance

P.S.: Your argument for the case is disgusting to draw parallels

You are an idiot, I did not perform a single trade in the parking lot. I did not do a single thing to get the rules broken. The parallel is quite accurate and you sir are a victim accuser. You should feel ashamed of yourself.

[Lemnear]

You are an idiot, I did not perform a single trade in the parking lot. I did not do a single thing to get the rules broken. The parallel is quite accurate and you sir are a victim accuser. You should feel ashamed of yourself.

You can continue to call me names and I won't take it personal because I understand your current anger, but I don't buy the story of having +50k $ of cardboard taken to a SCG location (or the parking lot in front of the location) without the intention to sell those.

My offer to assist you watching the market in case the thieves try to dump the cards, still stands non the less.

[Mr.C]

How big was the suitcase and what car was it? Was it actually feasible to pull it through the back seat without popping the trunk? All the BMWs I've seen that have folding rear seats (only 3 series, and those are tight) need the trunk to be opened to access the levers to fold down the rear seat; I haven't seen anyone be able to pop it from the inside.

Again, just curious and making sure you're not missing any angles here, which happens a lot in this kind of situation.

Edit: To be more specific, here's the part I'm wondering about:

I drive a BMW and they were locked in my Trunk, which could not be forcibly opened, they reached their hand through the back seat and took whatever would fit through.

Reason is, I had a friend with a broken trunk lock mechanism on an E92, and we weren't able to fold down his seats from the inside; ended up having to do it the hard way (getting power to one of the solenoids under the glovebox, iirc).

[Ziveeman]

Sorry for your loss Eli. I really hope you can find the thief and your cards. People who do this are disgusting.

[Oiolosse]

Lol @ the victim blaming in here. Dudes are like "what son? you didn't haul your stuff around in a Brinks armored truck? lmao, you deserved to have your stuff jacked!"... please.

Uhh, drive to academy and spend 200 dollars..that's less than 1% of the value of the collection. Killer deal if you ask me.

[Arsenal]

Uhh, drive to academy and spend 200 dollars..that's less than 1% of the value of the collection. Killer deal if you ask me.

I don't know what "Academy" is... I assume it to be a retailer of some sort? And if this is a retailer, what would I be spending $200 on? Your post is very vague and unhelpful.

[Moosedog]

With blatant targeted theft a reality and the price of cards continuing to rise. Are people considering GPS trackers ?

[zulander]

I don't know what "Academy" is... I assume it to be a retailer of some sort? And if this is a retailer, what would I be spending $200 on? Your post is very vague and unhelpful.

It's a sportings good store, I assume he meant to buy a mobile safe.

Dude Eli that blows man :(

One thing you could do is to setup automatic ebay searches with the cards that were stolen and cross-reference any matching items.

[Malchar]

Even if you can't get a real policy from an insurance company, you can still buy your own "insurance". Spending a few hundred dollars on a mobile safe is probably a much better investment than a real insurance policy anyway. It's just a one-time cost, and it actually mitigates the damages whereas an insurance policy would accomplish neither.

[mini1337s]

A safe for you car? Really? If they can break into your trunk, they can remove your portable safe and it doesn't take a rocket-scientist to use a crowbar and a hammer to open it up.

Love the instant victim blaming. I'm sure you would appreciate it if someone stole your cards. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T HAVE YOUR CARDS IN A SAFETY DEPOSIT BOX ALL THE TIME?! YOU DESERVE TO HAVE YOUR COLLECTION STOLEN!"

[jamied1981]

Hey eli sorry for your loss. But For Anyone Who Has This Much Inventoy In Their Car, There Is Something You Can Do.

A Safe In Your Car Is Doable. My Buddies Who Have Dealt With Some Not So Legal Items had Safes Installed In There Trunk. Fire Proof Welded In. Definitly Not Smash And Grab. Just Something To Think About For Others With Collections.

[SBGpinas]

A safe for you car? Really? If they can break into your trunk, they can remove your portable safe and it doesn't take a rocket-scientist to use a crowbar and a hammer to open it up.

This.

Dedicated thieves will always find a way...

Hell, I know someone who brings around safe-pacs all the time (the bags with a buttload of security features), but he's had an experience when the wire mesh underlining was cut with pliers just to get access to his stuff. Luckily, nothing was stolen, but having physical security measures like a safe isn't exactly a deterrent, especially when what's on the line is more than what a lot of people make in a year.

So to all those douchebags blaming the victim here, I hope karma goes your way so you finally learn how idiotic your statements are.

[Oiolosse]

A safe for you car? Really? If they can break into your trunk, they can remove your portable safe and it doesn't take a rocket-scientist to use a crowbar and a hammer to open it up.

Love the instant victim blaming. I'm sure you would appreciate it if someone stole your cards. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T HAVE YOUR CARDS IN A SAFETY DEPOSIT BOX ALL THE TIME?! YOU DESERVE TO HAVE YOUR COLLECTION STOLEN!"

You just bolt it to somewhere in your trunk. Oh, and fill it with rabid vermin...really, you guys think this is victim blaming. You need to view this as a lesson to secure your valuables better. No one here has said, "good for you for not securing your shit" or "he had it coming"...it fucking sucks and I hope the thieves get theirs but it still serves as a lesson to secure your collection. Is that unreasonable?

Wait, I just read the second half of your third sentence. Crowbar, hammer? No way man.

haha, hell yeah.

[Darkenslight]

A safe for you car? Really? If they can break into your trunk, they can remove your portable safe and it doesn't take a rocket-scientist to use a crowbar and a hammer to open it up.

Love the instant victim blaming. I'm sure you would appreciate it if someone stole your cards. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T HAVE YOUR CARDS IN A SAFETY DEPOSIT BOX ALL THE TIME?! YOU DESERVE TO HAVE YOUR COLLECTION STOLEN!"

I'm merely suggesting future ways of protecting those kinds of things - and the gun safe is directly modded to be integrated to the vehicle, so that you'd need some serious gear (and time) to pull it off.

[Lemnear]

A 100% protection against theft and robbery is an illusion. A safe in your trunk is worth shit in the later situation. All you can do is covering potential losses