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    Thief drops stolen coin collection into Coinstar machine

    Not an authorized rare coin dealerPolice in Oregon are searching for a suspect who allegedly stole a rare coin collection from his own father and traded it in for pennies on the dollar at a local coin-counting machine.

    On Christmas day, Dan Johnson Jr. and two friends allegedly broke into a shed on his father's property, where the coin collection was stowed. The burglars also reportedly stole tools and two safes, which had approximately 50 to 60 pounds of silver and jewelry inside.

    So what explains the colossal miscue? Authorities say that the simplest explanation is the most persuasive one. "The obvious answer is that the crooks were idiots," Dan Johnson Sr. told local affiliate Fox 12. "To not know the value of what they had taken, just to get pocket change for it. Just really a stupid person. Makes me feel good he was a stupid person and didn't realize what he had."

    The thieves took the coin collection, worth several thousand dollars, and dropped it into a Coinstar machine, where they received $450. They were unsuccessful in their attempts to put the silver coins into the machine and eventually took those to a local bank.

    "It was an inheritance, which made it even worse because I lost an inheritance that was meant to go forward for my children and grandchildren," Johnson said of the collection that his son had purloined.

    One thing Johnson did not specify is whether one of the actual intended beneficiaries was supposed to be the same son accused of stealing from him.

    However, Johnson is now working with the Multnomah County Sheriff's deputies to sift through the Coinstar machine looking for his collection. The bank is also returning the silver coins to Johnson.

    Police have caught two of the suspects involved in the crime, both of whom they say are cooperating in the investigation.

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    • C  •  3 mths ago
      crooks are stupid!!!
    • Krunch  •  4 mths ago
      Kudos to Coinstar and the bank for helping return the collection
      • Nicolas B 4 mths ago
        Of course the bank gladly exchanged the loads of silver for face value without sounding any alarms of suspicion, until approached by the authorities....typical bank.
      • Joe 4 mths ago
        Nicolas, I dont think the banks should sharing too much info, if any info, with the feds.
      • Damian 4 mths ago
        That would be recieving stolen properties if they don't help returning the collection.
    • G  •  4 mths ago
      Can't fix stupid.
      • Spawn32f 4 mths ago
        yeah you can just take that boy and get him neutered before some dingbat girlfriend of his gets knocked up with another one like him
      • Bob 4 mths ago
        Can kill stupid
      • Knows All Sees All 4 mths ago
        A few injections takes care of it
    • Lauren  •  4 mths ago
      Wow, that is stupidity of galactic proportions. But at least the authorities are working with the father to get the coins back from the machine.
      • dee 4 mths ago
        I like the phrase "galactic proportions" :)
      • safeinthewoods 4 mths ago
        ...agree. galactic proportions. ...mind if I use that? frequently?
      • JohnB 4 mths ago
        What about the father's stupidity? If you have a coin collection worth 'thousands of dollars', you don't store it in a shed!

        He should have kept them in a safe deposit box, or a safe buried in a wall...
    • Jerry  •  4 mths ago
      I stole a quarter from my moms purse once.......
      I still have the scar.
      • AMANDA 4 mths ago
        I like it! Old fashioned punishments make good citizens.
      • Jacob 4 mths ago
        Haha exactly. I'd be too scared of the consequences to steal something from my old man.
      • zo 4 mths ago
        Today your mom would be jailed and you'd be taken to protective custody where you'd learn how to steal properly and use drugs
    • No More Mr Nice Guy  •  Houston, Texas  •  4 mths ago
      "The obvious answer is that the crooks were idiots"

      They usually are...
      • Brian 4 mths ago
        Those coins could have traded for the sum of 1 MILLION dollars.
      • AZ 4 mths ago
        LOL...I love how politically correct-ness on the deputy's part :D
      • Drny 4 mths ago
        @Brian - actually, the article said they were worth several thousand dollars....
    • A Yahoo! User  •  4 mths ago
      Crack Kills youir brain first and your body second! IDIOTS
    • Brian  •  McHenry, Illinois  •  4 mths ago
      Time for a little chlorine in the gene pool....
    • Chill Bill  •  Klamath Falls, Oregon  •  4 mths ago
      My brother did the same thing. Stole $250K in face value silver coins from my parents. Sold them for nothing to get crack. So much for relatives.
    • Who Cares  •  4 mths ago
      wow, what a POS to steal from your own family !!!!!
    • A Yahoo! User  •  Dearborn, Michigan  •  4 mths ago
      The bank is also returning the silver coins? Uh..By law they have to return stolen property.
    • DJ  •  4 mths ago
      They just #$%$ their inheritance away. Who said that there is no justice in the world?
    • Jazzy Jeff  •  West Lafayette, Indiana  •  4 mths ago
      Morons.
    • KennethD  •  Middletown, New York  •  4 mths ago
      As a collector of many things... OUCH! But kudos for all involved to try and help retrieve the lost coins! What a bunch of idjits !
    • DarkVixen28  •  4 mths ago
      Wow. If you're going to steal something at least know its proper value first. Idiots.
    • RoadRash  •  4 mths ago
      CRACKHEAD!
    • draz91  •  4 mths ago
      I keep my inheritance in the back shed too!
    • torqueguy  •  Machelen, Belgium  •  4 mths ago
      Bet the old man wished he had used contraception huh??
    • Tom  •  Melbourne, Florida  •  4 mths ago
      three words - safe deposit box
    • Chris  •  Marcellus, Michigan  •  4 mths ago
      This is almost as bad as watching Pawn Stars and seeing people sell priceless artifacts for pennies on the dollar...
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