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This sucks- $100,000 antique coin collection was stolen after fire



A December apartment fire in Bayonne displaced tenants and destroyed personal possessions in several units.


However, Helmy Makarious, a resident of the building whose apartment was spared by the blaze, says he may have lost the most of all: his life's savings.


Two years ago, Makarious invested most of his money in his coin collection. That collection went missing in the aftermath of the fire, and four months later, there are no leads in the search for the missing coins.


Makarious, 66, was among the tenants of 92 W. 33rd St. who were evacuated from their apartment building on Dec. 29, 2011. Makarious was asleep in his fourth-floor apartment when his wife roused him from his slumber around 8 p.m.


"My wife tells me, 'Hurry up, we have a fire,'" Makarious said.


Makarious and his wife made their way out of the building, stopping once to turn back after encountering fire in the hall. Makarious was taken to Bayonne Medical Center to be treated for smoke inhalation. By the time he was released from the hospital and returned to his apartment, it was 4 a.m.


The couple were allowed back into their apartment and were relieved to find it had escaped being damaged by the blaze. However, that feeling was quickly replaced with despair as Makarious realized his coins were gone.


The police report, filed with Bayonne Police Department, tells the tale: Makarious told police his collection of old English money had been stolen sometime between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. on the night of Dec. 29. The estimated value of the money listed in the report: $80,000 to $100,000.


Makarious said when he returned to his apartment, the door was ajar. He found the reinforced lockbox in which he stored the money open and on the floor. The lock mechanism on the box was twisted, as if it had been pried open. Another jewelry box, which Makarious said contained more of the antique coins, was also missing. Makarious did not have insurance on the collection.


Bayonne Police Chief Robert Kubert said the standard protocols for securing the scene of a fire were followed. He said the owner of the building is responsible for securing the building after emergency crews are finished at the scene, unless foul play is suspected.


"If the Fire Department deems it suspicious, then it's a crime scene," Kubert said.


Hopeful the police would be able to trace the coins when the thief inevitably attempted to sell them, Makarious waited. However, four months later, he's beginning to lose hope.


"Every day, I hope somebody will call me," Makarious said. "Still nothing."


Kubert said investigators check local pawn shops and other gold and jewelry dealers in cases like this, and the stolen valuables often turn up. However, there has been no sign of the thief attempting to sell Makarious's coins.


How did a man living in a modest Bayonne apartment come to have $100,000 of antique money?


Makarious said he moved to the United States from Egypt about 38 years ago. He has since lived in New York, Pennsylvania and North Carolina. He settled in Bayonne 19 years ago.


In 1984, Makarious was injured while working for the Hudson Construction company in Manhattan. He fell two stories at a job site, sustaining an injury to his back that would require two surgeries. Unable to continue working, Makarious received workers' compensation checks every two weeks for nine years before receiving a lump sum settlement. He put the money into savings, amassing a respectable nest egg.


On May 3, 2010, according to a bank statement, Makarious withdrew $180,000 of the money he had been saving since his accident. He used the money to purchase $100,000 in antique British gold coins and paper money from Thomas Cook Currency Services in New York. The collection included a rare misprinted coin with Queen Elizabeth's portrait on both sides, among other valuable pieces.


Since the theft, Makarious said he asked the company to provide him with proof of his purchase, but was told the company did not keep such records. The Thomas Cook location in Manhattan has since become Travelex Currency Services. A representative from Travelex said the company no longer deals in antique currency.


Makarious doesn't even have a photo of the coins. The only evidence of the collection's existence is the damaged lockbox. With no leads and no hope, all Makarious can do is wait.


"All my life's money is gone," Makarious said.



http://www.nj.com/bayonne/index.ssf/2012/05/bayonne_man_says_100000_antiqu.html