VALUABLE OLD COINS STOLEN

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 107, 30 January 1935, Page 10

VALUABLE OLD COINS STOLEN

+ Youths Break Into House SOME OF PROPERTY SOLD TO MUSEUM (Dominion Special Service.) Wanganui, January 29. One of the largest ami most valuable private collections of old coins in New Zealand figured in a criminal case before Mr. J. IL Salmon. S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court to-day, when three youths and a juvenile, who pleaded guilty to charges of theft and breaking and entering, were committed to the Supreme Court at Wanganui for sentence. ... The collection, winch is the proper.;of Mr Charles G. Bussell, a. well-known Nukuinaru farmer, is valued in the vicinity of £5OO, and includes Kruger sovereigns. Japanese, French and United Stilles gold pieces, coins of the Britsh realm prior to the reign of Queen ’ Victoria, and several silver coins of various countries, all of whic]i had been collected by Mr. Bussell’s father. Reginald George Doran, aged 19. Alexander William John During, aged 19, John Spencer Peachey, aged 24. and a juvenile, aged 17, wore charged on a number of counts with breaking and entering and theft from a. house on Mr. Russell’s Nukuinaru property. Mr. Russell, in evidence, said lie did not reside on the farm during the past 12 months, but had made arrangements to have the house supervised. On January 16 he discovered the house had been broken into and coins, a gold watch, medals and sundry other articles were missing. He estimated the damage done to the house to be £25. Detective J. Murray gave evidence as to arresting accused and obtaining admissions of guilt. It was shown that Doran had been working on the farm, which was being operated by a person taking care of Mr. Russell’s homestead, and Doran, at various times with the other accused, had visited the property and broken in and stolen the articles listed. A good deal of the property had been recovered. Some of it had been sold to the Wanganui Museum and to various residents.