Robbers Net $4M in Coin Convention Heist
By Associated Press
2 hours ago

ORLANDO, Fla. - A band of masked robbers pulled off a $4 million coin heist at knife point outside a convention, getting away with gold, silver and a rare set of 1843 coins once owned by President Tyler, authorities said.

It was the second time in two years that the Florida United Numismatists' annual coin show had been hit, and this year's loss was much larger.

On Saturday, a Minnesota coin dealer's employee was unloading an SUV in the valet parking lane of the Peabody Hotel when a robber wearing a surgical mask and a hooded sweater grabbed him from behind, held a knife to his throat and forced him to the ground, witnesses and the victim told authorities.

While the robber kept witnesses at bay, two other men in surgical masks grabbed a suitcase from the SUV, the Orange County sheriff's report states.

"Nobody would have thought they would have been so brazen," said Robert Brueggeman, executive director of the Professional Numismatists Guild and owner of Positive Protection, which coordinated security at the convention.

Detectives say it's unclear whether the latest heist was linked to the thefts last year, when thieves nabbed about $450,000 worth of coins by breaking into cars, most of them while dealers ate in restaurants.

This year, the convention's organizers had increased security with more off-duty sheriff's deputies and a 24-hour secured room where dealers could store their coins, convention coordinator Cindy Wibker said. The four-day show attracted 1,750 dealers.