Thieves target cherished coins

A PENSIONER is offering a £10,000 reward after a coin collection he had built up over almost 40 years was stolen.

David Pearson only left his home for an hour and a half on Monday, but returned to find the collection - worth 50,000 - missing, while everything else in his Comiston home was ignored.

"Everything was untouched, the house wasn't ransacked," said the 67-year-old. "They had gone straight for the bag with the coins in it. I feel like my house has been violated, it will never be the same."

Police have launched an investigation into the theft and have appealed for information.

Mr Pearson, who said he had made his living through professional gambling, left his home on Comiston Springs Avenue to go to Morningside at about 11am on Monday.

He returned at 12.30pm to find the thieves had smashed through his front door.

"I came back and saw the main door at the front was closed, and I knew I hadn't closed it because I don't," said Mr Pearson, who lives alone.

"Then I saw all the glass, and once I got inside I realised what had happened."

Among his cherished collection, which he has amassed from auctions since beginning the hobby in the 1970s, was a Harold Penny - in memory of the last Anglo-Saxon king of England, worth about 5000.

Four Mary Queen of Scots coins, worth around 12,000, were also taken. They feature an image of a tortoise climbing a tree.

"It's not just the financial aspect, they are of great sentimental value to me as well," he said. "I've lived here for 30 years and never had a problem, but the house feels different. They must have watched me leave the house and get on the bus, then gone back."

Mr Pearson is also worried that whoever stole the coins will struggle to move them on.

"You don't see coins like this in Edinburgh, only in London, so I'm concerned they'll get too 'hot' and be dumped. That's why I'm putting up the reward for their return.

"I certainly won't be keeping coins at home in the future."

A police spokesman said: "Obviously, the victim is deeply upset at the loss of these coins. Not just because of their financial value, but also because of their sentimental worth.

"Anyone who has information that can assist us in tracing the coins is asked to contact us immediately.

"We would also urge specialist dealers to be on the look-out for the coins, as many of them are rare and distinctive, and report anyone who tries to sell on these stolen items."