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Author Topic: Simon Bendall Collection of Byzantine coins stolen  (Read 1817 times)

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Offline n.igma

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Simon Bendall Collection of Byzantine coins stolen
« on: February 23, 2018, 06:18:17 am »
Little wonder that many collectors want to keep their identity private...

http://www.coinsweekly.com/en/News/Simon-Bendall-Collection-of-Byzantine-coins-stolen/4?&id=5201

February 22, 2018 – According to first media reports the renowned scholar of Byzantine coins Simon Bendall was victim of a burglary. Last week burglars forced an entry to Bendall’s house in London by knocking down the house door. The scholar’s vast collection of Byzantine coins which he had used as reference for his many academic works was stolen along with other coins, tokens and medals.
As soon as a list of the stolen items is available it will be sent out to dealers. Of course, CoinsWeekly will publish it.

Anyone with information should contact Police Constable Swift (ID 2109CW) of the City of Westminster Police, or David Guest of Classical Numismatic Group. The crime reference number is: CAD 5902/12Feb18.


Very sad for this numismatist and scholar.
All historical inquiry is contingent and provisional, and our own prejudices will in due course come under scrutiny by our successors.

Offline Simon

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Re: Simon Bendall Collection of Byzantine coins stolen
« Reply #1 on: February 23, 2018, 06:53:59 am »
Another article with a little more detail.

https://www.antiquestradegazette.com/news/2018/byzantine-scholar-s-entire-collection-stolen-after-break-in/

If anyone runs into the list of missing coins please post it.  Simon Bendall has been a huge influence on this hobby, I certainly hope he  gets his collection back.
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=5633 My main collection of Tetartera. Post reform coinage.

Offline glebe

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Re: Simon Bendall Collection of Byzantine coins stolen
« Reply #2 on: February 24, 2018, 08:22:30 pm »
Not the first time, if memory serves me right.

Ross G.

Offline n.igma

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Re: Simon Bendall Collection of Byzantine coins stolen
« Reply #3 on: February 25, 2018, 03:01:54 am »
Yes, lightning has struck Bendall twice.

The first time was in 1989 when he was living in Los Angeles and his Palaeologan collection was stolen. 

I understand that about twenty percent of the collection was recovered in the following decade.
All historical inquiry is contingent and provisional, and our own prejudices will in due course come under scrutiny by our successors.

Offline Arados

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Re: Simon Bendall Collection of Byzantine coins stolen
« Reply #4 on: February 25, 2018, 03:35:48 am »
Sad news indeed, I do hope the Westminster police catch the perpetrators.  Unfortunately a determined professional thief, will almost always succeed in navigating themselves around the security measures we put in place to protect our collections, including Pseudonyms.

Offline n.igma

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Re: Simon Bendall Collection of Byzantine coins stolen
« Reply #5 on: February 25, 2018, 05:52:20 pm »
True but every little bit helps to mitigate the risk. Absolute anonymity is the best defense, but hardly possible for a scholar of Bendall's stature.
All historical inquiry is contingent and provisional, and our own prejudices will in due course come under scrutiny by our successors.

Offline Quant.Geek

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Re: Simon Bendall Collection of Byzantine coins stolen
« Reply #6 on: March 18, 2018, 06:17:09 pm »
A simple fix to this problem is to NOT keep your collection at home! It should be in a bank vault...

Offline n.igma

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Re: Simon Bendall Collection of Byzantine coins stolen
« Reply #7 on: March 18, 2018, 10:41:18 pm »
Great for the "investor" but for the numismatist there is ot much joy in that, particularly if you are actively engaged in research of the coins in the collection.
All historical inquiry is contingent and provisional, and our own prejudices will in due course come under scrutiny by our successors.

Offline Quant.Geek

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Re: Simon Bendall Collection of Byzantine coins stolen
« Reply #8 on: March 19, 2018, 03:31:38 am »
I beg to differ.  With the advent of digital cameras, you can gleam a lot from images.  As a collector myself, my main collection is in the vault and I have digital images of those coins if I need to study them.  You are talking about thousands of coins here...

Offline Arados

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Re: Simon Bendall Collection of Byzantine coins stolen
« Reply #9 on: March 19, 2018, 04:16:59 am »
For those collectors who enjoy having their coins close at hand, including yours truly.  Then why not invest in a gun safe of reasonable weight (600-800lbs), that´s if you have the space to accommadate one (and finances). Its difficult to stop determined thiefs, but i´m sure they would think twice about lumping a 800lb safe around.  

Gun safe, next on my shopping list.

Offline Obryzum

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Re: Simon Bendall Collection of Byzantine coins stolen
« Reply #10 on: March 19, 2018, 05:57:31 am »
As time passes and my years as a collector add up, I seem to have found a middle ground.  The great majority of my collection from a value standpoint is locked away, but I make periodic trips to the vault to swap two or three keepers.  That and I have a collection of “practically worthless but aesthetically pleasing as a whole” coins that I keep at home: common coins, coins badly damaged on one side, holed coins, broken coins, cracked coins, black cabinet coins, etc.  That way I can always be reminded of the history, but also able to not worry.

Offline n.igma

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Re: Simon Bendall Collection of Byzantine coins stolen
« Reply #11 on: March 19, 2018, 08:08:19 am »
Actually, I find a Rottweiler in the house mitigates the risk.

Best of both worlds really ... coins at hand and a reliable companion!

Reminds me of the old joke "What's black and tan and looks good on a lawyer?"
All historical inquiry is contingent and provisional, and our own prejudices will in due course come under scrutiny by our successors.

 

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