1 00:00:08,840 --> 00:00:14,720 Speaker 1: You know how this story started. A New Year's Eve 2 00:00:14,760 --> 00:00:19,880 Speaker 1: party at Nicholas Cage's house in late nine d perfect 3 00:00:19,960 --> 00:00:22,799 Speaker 1: cover for someone to run off with cages copies of 4 00:00:22,880 --> 00:00:26,720 Speaker 1: Action Comics Number one and Detective Comics Number twenty seven, 5 00:00:27,240 --> 00:00:31,200 Speaker 1: two of the most valuable comics in existence, a theft 6 00:00:31,320 --> 00:00:35,000 Speaker 1: that would ultimately have value in the millions. It was 7 00:00:35,200 --> 00:00:38,320 Speaker 1: the Stewart Isabella Gardner heist of the comic book world. 8 00:00:38,960 --> 00:00:42,360 Speaker 1: That's the infamous Boston theft of priceless art works back 9 00:00:42,400 --> 00:00:45,720 Speaker 1: in nine You can probably find a lot of podcasts 10 00:00:45,760 --> 00:00:49,919 Speaker 1: about it. You know what would be strange, though, if 11 00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:53,440 Speaker 1: you took a famous art heist like the Gardener Museum 12 00:00:53,560 --> 00:00:57,480 Speaker 1: or the Mona Lisa theft, and somehow found that someone 13 00:00:58,040 --> 00:01:03,440 Speaker 1: somewhere had done something almost exactly like the robbery, right 14 00:01:03,480 --> 00:01:06,920 Speaker 1: down to the modus operandi, and did it just weeks 15 00:01:06,959 --> 00:01:10,280 Speaker 1: before the more well known heist, like it was some 16 00:01:10,360 --> 00:01:15,039 Speaker 1: kind of criminal dress rehearsal, and the parallels were so eerie, 17 00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:18,480 Speaker 1: so puzzling, that you'd almost have to think the two 18 00:01:18,760 --> 00:01:23,840 Speaker 1: had to be related. Example, what if someone told you 19 00:01:23,959 --> 00:01:27,839 Speaker 1: that just before someone stole Nicholas Cage's copy of Action 20 00:01:27,959 --> 00:01:31,839 Speaker 1: number one from his bel Air home. Someone took another 21 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:35,800 Speaker 1: copy of Action number one from the home of another 22 00:01:35,920 --> 00:01:40,360 Speaker 1: collector in Connecticut, and did it just after the person 23 00:01:40,440 --> 00:01:44,280 Speaker 1: had a party with dozens of guests at their palatial 24 00:01:44,360 --> 00:01:48,080 Speaker 1: residence that was known to have lack of security measures 25 00:01:48,600 --> 00:01:51,840 Speaker 1: and that there were no shortage of suspects, from his 26 00:01:51,920 --> 00:01:55,280 Speaker 1: house staff, to his guests, to his two house sitters. 27 00:01:56,240 --> 00:01:59,880 Speaker 1: How could two copies of the same priceless comic be 28 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:04,560 Speaker 1: stolen thousands of miles apart at practically the same time, 29 00:02:05,360 --> 00:02:10,040 Speaker 1: the only two recorded times anyone has ever been audacious 30 00:02:10,080 --> 00:02:14,880 Speaker 1: and brazen enough to steal Superman's first appearance. I know 31 00:02:15,040 --> 00:02:19,120 Speaker 1: I'm asking a lot of rhetorical questions, and what I'm 32 00:02:19,160 --> 00:02:22,880 Speaker 1: about to tell you isn't exactly like the Cage case. 33 00:02:23,400 --> 00:02:26,040 Speaker 1: For one thing, it took place on the East Coast. 34 00:02:26,720 --> 00:02:32,080 Speaker 1: For another, the collector wasn't a famous millionaire. He's a 35 00:02:32,200 --> 00:02:45,000 Speaker 1: famous billionaire. For I Heart Radio, this is Stealing Superman. 36 00:02:45,639 --> 00:02:49,640 Speaker 1: I'm your host, Danis Schwartz, and this is episode three. 37 00:02:50,160 --> 00:03:07,440 Speaker 1: The collector. Drive about an hour northeast of New York City, 38 00:03:07,560 --> 00:03:12,120 Speaker 1: and you'll find yourself in Westport, Connecticut, a bedroom community 39 00:03:12,200 --> 00:03:17,960 Speaker 1: for city workers looking for a little quiet. It's safe, peaceful, friendly, 40 00:03:18,960 --> 00:03:22,200 Speaker 1: and home to a lot of wealth. Up until his 41 00:03:22,320 --> 00:03:24,880 Speaker 1: death in two thousand eight, you might have caught sight 42 00:03:24,919 --> 00:03:28,200 Speaker 1: of the actor Paul Newman, who was a resident for decades. 43 00:03:28,680 --> 00:03:32,240 Speaker 1: Martha Stewart used to live here too. This is where 44 00:03:32,240 --> 00:03:37,119 Speaker 1: a woman named Anne found herself in late ninety nine nine. 45 00:03:37,960 --> 00:03:40,280 Speaker 1: Anne was a student at the time, in her early 46 00:03:40,360 --> 00:03:44,640 Speaker 1: twenties and dating a man named Jeff. Jeff taught tennis 47 00:03:44,680 --> 00:03:48,920 Speaker 1: at the local recreation center, and like most couples in 48 00:03:49,000 --> 00:03:53,360 Speaker 1: early adulthood, money was a little tight. Then Jeff heard 49 00:03:53,440 --> 00:03:57,400 Speaker 1: about an opportunity. Someone in the area needed a house 50 00:03:57,400 --> 00:04:01,240 Speaker 1: sitter and maybe there could be a trade tennis lessons 51 00:04:01,280 --> 00:04:05,760 Speaker 1: in exchange for free rent. Yeah, Jeff was always open 52 00:04:05,840 --> 00:04:10,640 Speaker 1: and tells things and looking for a commodations or something, 53 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:14,320 Speaker 1: and said, Hey, looking for someone that's there during the 54 00:04:14,360 --> 00:04:17,159 Speaker 1: week to watch his house. I guess, And that's how 55 00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:21,120 Speaker 1: we got to live in his house. That's Anne, and 56 00:04:21,160 --> 00:04:24,560 Speaker 1: the house she's referring to belonged to one of Westport's 57 00:04:24,680 --> 00:04:29,000 Speaker 1: wealthy residents, and and Jeff were intrigued by the idea 58 00:04:29,040 --> 00:04:32,159 Speaker 1: of becoming house sitters, but a better term may have 59 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:36,680 Speaker 1: been mansion sitters. The owner who had invited Anne and 60 00:04:36,720 --> 00:04:40,160 Speaker 1: Jeff to house it worked in the finance world and 61 00:04:40,400 --> 00:04:43,719 Speaker 1: knew how to navigate it, so much so that later 62 00:04:43,800 --> 00:04:48,200 Speaker 1: on he'd take on ownership of a professional sports team. 63 00:04:48,360 --> 00:04:52,880 Speaker 1: Let's talk about his vacation home. There was a tennis court, 64 00:04:53,600 --> 00:04:58,680 Speaker 1: eight bathrooms, stone walls, a gate. It was a palace 65 00:04:58,760 --> 00:05:02,200 Speaker 1: fit for a king, and he needed someone to watch 66 00:05:02,240 --> 00:05:05,960 Speaker 1: it while he was off making gobs of money. Well, 67 00:05:06,520 --> 00:05:09,480 Speaker 1: you know where I'm from. I don't know that it 68 00:05:09,560 --> 00:05:13,240 Speaker 1: was for him. Yes, their main resident was in Manhattan, 69 00:05:13,640 --> 00:05:16,880 Speaker 1: and then they would come on the weekends that the 70 00:05:16,960 --> 00:05:20,800 Speaker 1: family mainly just the kids and him, and spend the 71 00:05:20,800 --> 00:05:24,719 Speaker 1: weekends there or vacation there. Yes, it's a mansion, so 72 00:05:24,760 --> 00:05:26,719 Speaker 1: it's a huge house. We didn't need to live in 73 00:05:26,760 --> 00:05:30,520 Speaker 1: the main house. We lived in a side house, separate house. 74 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:34,880 Speaker 1: You imagine like a castle looking like it was all 75 00:05:34,920 --> 00:05:39,159 Speaker 1: made out of stone. House and then their kitchen would 76 00:05:39,240 --> 00:05:43,400 Speaker 1: connect like a walk away to the house to what 77 00:05:43,560 --> 00:05:46,800 Speaker 1: we had at a house into like a little living 78 00:05:46,880 --> 00:05:50,320 Speaker 1: area with the kitchen, and an upstairs for us was 79 00:05:50,440 --> 00:05:54,360 Speaker 1: our bedroom. Will be respectful of his privacy and call 80 00:05:54,480 --> 00:05:59,640 Speaker 1: him the collector. The collector's home in Westport was cavernous 81 00:06:00,160 --> 00:06:04,920 Speaker 1: and reportedly filled with memorabilia of all kinds, from sports 82 00:06:04,920 --> 00:06:11,160 Speaker 1: cards and jerseys to autographs to comic books, especially comic books. 83 00:06:11,800 --> 00:06:17,280 Speaker 1: The collector had grown up idolizing Superman and Batman, their adventures, 84 00:06:17,320 --> 00:06:22,280 Speaker 1: their code of honor, their exemplar modern mythology. When he 85 00:06:22,400 --> 00:06:25,000 Speaker 1: was just a kid and worked at the local pharmacy, 86 00:06:25,440 --> 00:06:29,280 Speaker 1: he was paid in Superman comics, a weird way of 87 00:06:29,360 --> 00:06:33,760 Speaker 1: his employers skirting child labor laws, but the collector didn't mind. 88 00:06:34,279 --> 00:06:37,560 Speaker 1: It instilled in him a lifelong love of the character. 89 00:06:38,520 --> 00:06:41,400 Speaker 1: He had a lot of comics, but only two were 90 00:06:41,520 --> 00:06:45,680 Speaker 1: kept under wraps, Action number one and Batman Number One. 91 00:06:46,279 --> 00:06:49,839 Speaker 1: That comic isn't actually the first appearance of the Dark Night, 92 00:06:50,360 --> 00:06:54,000 Speaker 1: but it's his first solo title, and it's perhaps the 93 00:06:54,240 --> 00:06:57,919 Speaker 1: third most desirable comic in the world. It's the first 94 00:06:57,920 --> 00:07:06,279 Speaker 1: time anyone ever glimpsed the joke Er and Catwoman. The 95 00:07:06,400 --> 00:07:09,520 Speaker 1: collector had just moved the comics from his home in 96 00:07:09,640 --> 00:07:13,679 Speaker 1: Manhattan over the summer. Both of those comics were kept 97 00:07:13,720 --> 00:07:18,800 Speaker 1: in protective cases to ward off fingerprints, dust, body oil, 98 00:07:19,400 --> 00:07:24,160 Speaker 1: anything that could corrupt their excellent condition. The Action number 99 00:07:24,200 --> 00:07:28,320 Speaker 1: one was valued around two hundred thousand dollars, while the 100 00:07:28,320 --> 00:07:32,280 Speaker 1: Batman could fetch hundred thousand dollars. If it were a 101 00:07:32,320 --> 00:07:35,720 Speaker 1: stack of money, it would take up an entire Duffel bag. 102 00:07:36,360 --> 00:07:39,920 Speaker 1: But these comics were just a quarter inch thick at most, 103 00:07:40,560 --> 00:07:44,200 Speaker 1: and like Cage, the collector had bought them from dealer 104 00:07:44,280 --> 00:07:49,760 Speaker 1: Stephen Fishler and Metropolis Collectibles. Here's Stephen, I'm gonna go 105 00:07:49,880 --> 00:07:52,520 Speaker 1: through my memory banks so that you're mentioning it. I 106 00:07:52,600 --> 00:07:57,080 Speaker 1: remember like, oh, you gotta be kidding, not again. What 107 00:07:57,120 --> 00:08:00,880 Speaker 1: was interesting about this is that Fishler sold both copies, 108 00:08:01,240 --> 00:08:04,600 Speaker 1: one to the collector and one to Cage, around the 109 00:08:04,640 --> 00:08:08,560 Speaker 1: same time, and both were virtually in the same, very 110 00:08:08,640 --> 00:08:13,160 Speaker 1: fine condition. The books were like doppelgangers. Well, I had 111 00:08:13,200 --> 00:08:15,880 Speaker 1: sold a tim for a hundred fifty thousand, and in 112 00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:19,680 Speaker 1: fact I sold two copies within thirty days of each 113 00:08:19,720 --> 00:08:22,920 Speaker 1: other for a hundred fifty each, and they were very 114 00:08:22,920 --> 00:08:25,800 Speaker 1: similar to each other. So in ninety I had two 115 00:08:25,800 --> 00:08:29,920 Speaker 1: copies and they sold for exactly the same price, very 116 00:08:29,960 --> 00:08:34,520 Speaker 1: close together. Time wise, if the collector was a little 117 00:08:34,559 --> 00:08:38,160 Speaker 1: cavalier about the other collectibles in his home, he was 118 00:08:38,280 --> 00:08:43,000 Speaker 1: downright militant about these two comics. He kept both in 119 00:08:43,040 --> 00:08:47,560 Speaker 1: a Century Safe Model six. It's about the size of 120 00:08:47,600 --> 00:08:52,240 Speaker 1: a dorm room refrigerator with a numbered keypad. This isn't 121 00:08:52,400 --> 00:08:56,000 Speaker 1: national security level stuff, but it should dissuade most people 122 00:08:56,080 --> 00:09:00,720 Speaker 1: from trying to get inside. Jeff and Anne were not collectors. 123 00:09:01,440 --> 00:09:05,319 Speaker 1: They were sort of well oblivious to all of it. Now, 124 00:09:05,520 --> 00:09:08,360 Speaker 1: not really, I mean at that time, howell was I 125 00:09:08,640 --> 00:09:11,880 Speaker 1: have no, We're just like dumb kids. We were happy 126 00:09:11,920 --> 00:09:14,240 Speaker 1: where we were and happy that we could live there 127 00:09:14,280 --> 00:09:18,559 Speaker 1: for free, and just now not even researched it or 128 00:09:18,800 --> 00:09:21,319 Speaker 1: even like, oh, how much are they worth or whatever? 129 00:09:21,520 --> 00:09:25,320 Speaker 1: I never thought of that. Oh comic books, okay, frame 130 00:09:25,600 --> 00:09:29,040 Speaker 1: and put them up for I don't know, well, framing 131 00:09:29,080 --> 00:09:34,920 Speaker 1: comics hadn't turned out too well for cage. But anyway, besides, 132 00:09:35,120 --> 00:09:38,600 Speaker 1: Jeff and Anne weren't usually in the house. They were 133 00:09:38,640 --> 00:09:41,200 Speaker 1: staying in a guest area that was connected to the 134 00:09:41,240 --> 00:09:45,800 Speaker 1: house but relatively separate. This was a pretty good arrangement. 135 00:09:46,400 --> 00:09:49,200 Speaker 1: The collector allowed them to live there to keep an 136 00:09:49,200 --> 00:09:52,440 Speaker 1: eye on things, make it seem like the house was inhabited. 137 00:09:53,000 --> 00:09:55,760 Speaker 1: On weekends, the collector would come in from the city 138 00:09:56,200 --> 00:09:59,840 Speaker 1: by himself or with his family, and then off he'd go. 139 00:10:00,880 --> 00:10:05,640 Speaker 1: It was really an ideal situation, except well, except for 140 00:10:05,679 --> 00:10:08,920 Speaker 1: a couple of things, like the fact Anne and Jeff 141 00:10:09,080 --> 00:10:12,920 Speaker 1: weren't the only people there. And to know that there 142 00:10:12,920 --> 00:10:17,040 Speaker 1: are too many people around. I don't know. I mean, 143 00:10:17,080 --> 00:10:20,400 Speaker 1: at one point Jeff even thought the driver comes in. 144 00:10:20,559 --> 00:10:22,800 Speaker 1: We didn't know when someone would come, someone would drop 145 00:10:22,840 --> 00:10:26,240 Speaker 1: off some of someone. These people are just coming and going. 146 00:10:26,440 --> 00:10:29,680 Speaker 1: There are always different people, and they don't introduce themselves. 147 00:10:29,679 --> 00:10:32,200 Speaker 1: They just come in and they're just of a sudden, 148 00:10:32,200 --> 00:10:34,079 Speaker 1: stand right next to you and you're in their house. 149 00:10:34,559 --> 00:10:39,040 Speaker 1: Despite his memorabilia and his other possessions, the collector didn't 150 00:10:39,040 --> 00:10:43,680 Speaker 1: seem overly concerned with security. Maybe it was the presence 151 00:10:43,720 --> 00:10:46,840 Speaker 1: of Jeff and Anne to human guard dogs, who might 152 00:10:46,960 --> 00:10:50,760 Speaker 1: ward off any theft by their mere presence alone, but 153 00:10:50,840 --> 00:10:54,160 Speaker 1: even patrol officers in the area would notice how the 154 00:10:54,200 --> 00:10:58,680 Speaker 1: collector didn't seem to mind leaving doors unlocked and giving 155 00:10:58,720 --> 00:11:03,079 Speaker 1: people plenty of acts us. Hey, it's Westport. The property 156 00:11:03,120 --> 00:11:07,360 Speaker 1: crime rate is almost half the national average. The collector 157 00:11:07,440 --> 00:11:10,600 Speaker 1: had a housekeeper named Linda, who came in multiple times 158 00:11:10,600 --> 00:11:13,560 Speaker 1: a week to clean. Linda had been working for the 159 00:11:13,559 --> 00:11:19,360 Speaker 1: collector for years and was trusted implicitly well by the collector. Anyway, 160 00:11:19,480 --> 00:11:22,080 Speaker 1: when she was there, we state on our side. When 161 00:11:22,120 --> 00:11:24,480 Speaker 1: I was even there, I went to school, Jeff went 162 00:11:24,559 --> 00:11:28,880 Speaker 1: to work, so I don't know when she was there, 163 00:11:28,880 --> 00:11:32,760 Speaker 1: I would say hi, and that was Then there was Rodney, 164 00:11:33,000 --> 00:11:37,360 Speaker 1: the collector's driver. Rodney was around even when his boss 165 00:11:37,520 --> 00:11:41,400 Speaker 1: wasn't dropping things off and picking them up. He had 166 00:11:41,440 --> 00:11:44,800 Speaker 1: a key to the house, just like Linda did. Yes, 167 00:11:45,280 --> 00:11:49,440 Speaker 1: there were multiple drivers. They would pick up different cars, 168 00:11:49,559 --> 00:11:52,959 Speaker 1: drop off different cars, just come and hang out in 169 00:11:53,040 --> 00:11:56,319 Speaker 1: the house. I guess, so did a guy named Joe, 170 00:11:56,559 --> 00:12:01,160 Speaker 1: a contractor. The collector had some home improved projects going on, 171 00:12:01,640 --> 00:12:04,440 Speaker 1: so Jeff and Ann would sometimes see Joe and his 172 00:12:04,520 --> 00:12:08,160 Speaker 1: workers around. And so things went on like this for 173 00:12:08,320 --> 00:12:11,920 Speaker 1: a few months, Jeff and Ann living beyond their means, 174 00:12:11,920 --> 00:12:16,000 Speaker 1: but in kind of a cool way. And then, because 175 00:12:16,080 --> 00:12:19,920 Speaker 1: there's always and and then and opened a drawer one 176 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:24,440 Speaker 1: day to find something very unusual. A few weeks prior, 177 00:12:24,679 --> 00:12:27,360 Speaker 1: Jeff had given her a gift, which she kept in 178 00:12:27,400 --> 00:12:31,520 Speaker 1: a jewelry box inside of the dresser in her bedroom. 179 00:12:31,640 --> 00:12:35,400 Speaker 1: As she reached for it, she realized something was wrong. 180 00:12:36,120 --> 00:12:39,360 Speaker 1: Jeff had given me some diamond ear rings, and those 181 00:12:39,400 --> 00:12:42,960 Speaker 1: diamond ear rings, the piece on the back of the 182 00:12:43,040 --> 00:12:48,000 Speaker 1: stut was through on, so when I was putting them on, 183 00:12:48,960 --> 00:12:51,640 Speaker 1: they just clicked in and I was like, now something's wrong. 184 00:12:52,120 --> 00:12:56,760 Speaker 1: There was something different about the diamond gold earrings. Anne 185 00:12:56,800 --> 00:12:59,920 Speaker 1: couldn't quite put her finger on it until she put 186 00:13:00,040 --> 00:13:03,240 Speaker 1: her finger on it. So I looked at him and 187 00:13:03,280 --> 00:13:07,280 Speaker 1: I could tell that there were struns, and I was like, 188 00:13:07,320 --> 00:13:10,719 Speaker 1: those are not my ear rings. And then I looked closer. 189 00:13:11,040 --> 00:13:13,520 Speaker 1: That didn't have any stamp, you know, like how they 190 00:13:13,520 --> 00:13:16,080 Speaker 1: have a stamp in it that they're real and nothing. 191 00:13:16,280 --> 00:13:18,760 Speaker 1: And then I called him and I said, something that 192 00:13:18,880 --> 00:13:23,160 Speaker 1: doesn't seem right. Someone had gotten into Anne's rare and 193 00:13:23,320 --> 00:13:27,640 Speaker 1: replaced the earrings with fakes. That would mean someone had 194 00:13:27,679 --> 00:13:31,080 Speaker 1: been looking in the drawer, found them, and made the 195 00:13:31,360 --> 00:13:35,560 Speaker 1: very deliberate choice of returning with a fake pair to 196 00:13:35,679 --> 00:13:39,960 Speaker 1: try to keep the theft undetected. It was planned. I mean, 197 00:13:40,040 --> 00:13:44,880 Speaker 1: you can say someone looked already through everything beforehand to 198 00:13:45,000 --> 00:13:48,880 Speaker 1: see what we have. Anne immediately told the collector about 199 00:13:48,960 --> 00:13:52,240 Speaker 1: what had happened. After all, a theft had taken place 200 00:13:52,360 --> 00:13:56,480 Speaker 1: in his home, but his reaction seemed a bit muted. 201 00:13:57,280 --> 00:13:59,160 Speaker 1: He was like well, we'll take a look at it. 202 00:13:59,480 --> 00:14:02,839 Speaker 1: I mean him, that's minor. I'm sure so. And then 203 00:14:02,880 --> 00:14:06,079 Speaker 1: I think they're just talked Jeff and him to locate 204 00:14:06,160 --> 00:14:09,200 Speaker 1: where it was. I mean, I don't know. It was 205 00:14:09,280 --> 00:14:12,480 Speaker 1: strange to me at that time, and now it's even 206 00:14:12,559 --> 00:14:16,640 Speaker 1: stranger because who comes in our room and steals that 207 00:14:17,000 --> 00:14:22,680 Speaker 1: tiny of something knowing that I'm wearing I have. About 208 00:14:22,720 --> 00:14:26,640 Speaker 1: two weeks after Anne's earrings disappeared, the collector came back 209 00:14:26,640 --> 00:14:29,560 Speaker 1: to the house for the weekend, and that's when it 210 00:14:29,640 --> 00:14:33,880 Speaker 1: was his turn to notice something was very amiss. The 211 00:14:33,960 --> 00:14:38,480 Speaker 1: collectors safe was kept in a bedroom closet. At the time. 212 00:14:38,560 --> 00:14:42,800 Speaker 1: It contained the comics, about five dollars in cash, and 213 00:14:42,960 --> 00:14:47,720 Speaker 1: an expensive Cardier watch. He noticed someone had tossed some 214 00:14:47,880 --> 00:14:51,160 Speaker 1: clothes on top of the safe. When he pulled the 215 00:14:51,200 --> 00:14:55,080 Speaker 1: clothes away, he saw that the safe had clearly been 216 00:14:55,160 --> 00:15:00,040 Speaker 1: pride open. There was no elegant safe cracking here. It 217 00:15:00,120 --> 00:15:05,000 Speaker 1: was brute force, and when he opened the bent, twisted door, 218 00:15:05,520 --> 00:15:09,600 Speaker 1: he found his Cardier watch, but the five hundred dollars 219 00:15:09,760 --> 00:15:14,400 Speaker 1: was gone, and so was the action number one, and 220 00:15:14,520 --> 00:15:19,320 Speaker 1: so was the Batman number one. The Westport police would 221 00:15:19,360 --> 00:15:22,680 Speaker 1: soon be on the case, But unlike in Los Angeles, 222 00:15:22,760 --> 00:15:27,120 Speaker 1: there was no dedicated art detective, nor was Westport some 223 00:15:27,360 --> 00:15:31,680 Speaker 1: massive metropolis. If the Collector and Cage were ever to 224 00:15:31,720 --> 00:15:35,520 Speaker 1: get their comics back, they'd need some kind of specialist. 225 00:15:36,440 --> 00:15:47,080 Speaker 1: Do you mean the forensic comic cologist. The action number 226 00:15:47,120 --> 00:15:50,480 Speaker 1: one's taken from the homes of the Collector and Cage 227 00:15:50,680 --> 00:15:55,600 Speaker 1: are by far the two most significant comic book heists 228 00:15:55,680 --> 00:15:59,880 Speaker 1: in the history of the hobby. They're practically mirror images 229 00:16:00,000 --> 00:16:03,320 Speaker 1: of one another in much the same way Bizarro is 230 00:16:03,400 --> 00:16:07,880 Speaker 1: a mirror image of Superman, only a little off, a 231 00:16:07,920 --> 00:16:13,480 Speaker 1: little different. You know, Bizarro, he's Superman's opposite, wielder of 232 00:16:13,640 --> 00:16:18,080 Speaker 1: broken syntax and calling himself Kent Clark. Instead of an 233 00:16:18,400 --> 00:16:21,800 Speaker 1: S on his chest, there's a bee or later a 234 00:16:21,920 --> 00:16:25,240 Speaker 1: reverse U S. There was an episode of Seinfeld where 235 00:16:25,360 --> 00:16:29,360 Speaker 1: Jerry met a Bizarro version of his friends. The Collector's 236 00:16:29,400 --> 00:16:33,880 Speaker 1: heist was kind of like that, a Bizarro theft, or 237 00:16:33,920 --> 00:16:38,000 Speaker 1: maybe Cages was the Bizarro version, But there was one 238 00:16:38,200 --> 00:16:43,440 Speaker 1: major component both crimes had in common. Police departments are 239 00:16:43,760 --> 00:16:47,920 Speaker 1: usually ill equipped to investigate these sort of thefts. Remember, 240 00:16:48,040 --> 00:16:51,040 Speaker 1: there are hardly even a handful of our thief detectives 241 00:16:51,040 --> 00:16:55,440 Speaker 1: in the world, let alone comic book detectives. But there 242 00:16:55,640 --> 00:16:59,800 Speaker 1: is one person, maybe the only one in the world, 243 00:17:00,240 --> 00:17:03,760 Speaker 1: is uniquely qualified to talk about these kinds of heists. 244 00:17:04,960 --> 00:17:08,760 Speaker 1: My name is Jamie Newbold, live in San Diego. All 245 00:17:08,800 --> 00:17:13,600 Speaker 1: my life. I own Southern California Comics. It's a business 246 00:17:13,640 --> 00:17:17,240 Speaker 1: that's been in effect now since the late nineties. Several 247 00:17:17,320 --> 00:17:20,679 Speaker 1: years before that, I retired from the San Diego Police Department. 248 00:17:20,840 --> 00:17:24,280 Speaker 1: I had done twenty years there. Jamie, by the way, 249 00:17:24,480 --> 00:17:28,159 Speaker 1: is talking to us just after hip surgery. I'm waiting 250 00:17:28,200 --> 00:17:34,560 Speaker 1: for this guy to come pull my stables. It's unusual 251 00:17:34,800 --> 00:17:37,920 Speaker 1: to find a comic bookstore owner and collector who also 252 00:17:38,040 --> 00:17:42,119 Speaker 1: happened to be a uniformed police officer. It's kind of 253 00:17:42,160 --> 00:17:45,720 Speaker 1: a genes plicing of law enforcement knowledge and the insider 254 00:17:45,760 --> 00:17:49,240 Speaker 1: perspective you can only get when you've grown up reading comics. 255 00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:53,160 Speaker 1: And while Cage and the collector may have been shocked 256 00:17:53,160 --> 00:17:57,040 Speaker 1: that someone came for their books, Jamie has seen it before. 257 00:17:57,720 --> 00:18:00,920 Speaker 1: In fact, he worked a stolen comic case back when 258 00:18:00,920 --> 00:18:03,840 Speaker 1: he was a cop. The books were all kept in 259 00:18:03,880 --> 00:18:08,480 Speaker 1: America Comics, which debuted before the US entered World War Two. 260 00:18:09,119 --> 00:18:12,600 Speaker 1: The very first appearance of the patriotic hero who was 261 00:18:12,640 --> 00:18:17,800 Speaker 1: injected with super steroids sorry super Soldier serum and fought 262 00:18:17,840 --> 00:18:21,240 Speaker 1: for the American way. If you've got the first issue 263 00:18:21,280 --> 00:18:24,280 Speaker 1: in your attic or around the house, tried to dust 264 00:18:24,320 --> 00:18:29,000 Speaker 1: it off. It's worth over three million dollars in excellent condition. 265 00:18:29,480 --> 00:18:32,359 Speaker 1: This gentleman, his name is Ray, lived in the Beach area, 266 00:18:32,560 --> 00:18:35,920 Speaker 1: San Diego, and his job takes him out of town. 267 00:18:36,119 --> 00:18:39,720 Speaker 1: Frequently leaves his home no one's there. He had a 268 00:18:39,720 --> 00:18:42,760 Speaker 1: collection of Golden Age Captain America's he was quite proud of, 269 00:18:43,280 --> 00:18:47,200 Speaker 1: and they were missing one day. Now he can't explain 270 00:18:47,280 --> 00:18:50,920 Speaker 1: who or how. He just knows they were gone. I 271 00:18:50,960 --> 00:18:53,600 Speaker 1: was detailed to take the police report, and I'm like 272 00:18:53,720 --> 00:18:56,359 Speaker 1: the only comic book guy on the department at the time, 273 00:18:57,280 --> 00:19:00,040 Speaker 1: so I was able to give him some feelers and 274 00:19:00,119 --> 00:19:03,119 Speaker 1: what I would do if I were him. Fortunately everything 275 00:19:03,200 --> 00:19:05,719 Speaker 1: fell into place. I told him, I will get you 276 00:19:05,720 --> 00:19:08,800 Speaker 1: into con if you don't have a badge for comic Con. 277 00:19:09,480 --> 00:19:11,680 Speaker 1: This was years ago when you could still get badges 278 00:19:11,760 --> 00:19:15,080 Speaker 1: just off the street. Jamie is referring to the San 279 00:19:15,119 --> 00:19:19,159 Speaker 1: Diego Comic Con, the apex of comic book gatherings and 280 00:19:19,280 --> 00:19:21,800 Speaker 1: a place where it might be easier to pass along 281 00:19:21,880 --> 00:19:25,600 Speaker 1: a stolen comic. Jamie had a feeling that the thief 282 00:19:25,680 --> 00:19:28,880 Speaker 1: might head there to sell his Captain America's and well, 283 00:19:29,200 --> 00:19:31,600 Speaker 1: you go ahead and look around for those comics. I'll 284 00:19:31,640 --> 00:19:33,960 Speaker 1: be set up there. I always have a booth at con. 285 00:19:34,720 --> 00:19:37,720 Speaker 1: And if you're lucky enough and maybe somebody actually has 286 00:19:37,760 --> 00:19:41,080 Speaker 1: your books and selling them, come get me. We'll get 287 00:19:41,080 --> 00:19:43,360 Speaker 1: security and we'll go over and lock it down. Well 288 00:19:43,400 --> 00:19:46,560 Speaker 1: that's exactly what happened. So the gentleman had the books 289 00:19:46,680 --> 00:19:50,159 Speaker 1: was another one of these locals, like a Craigslist guy. 290 00:19:50,560 --> 00:19:53,879 Speaker 1: He would buy and sell through Craigslist. He lived in 291 00:19:53,880 --> 00:19:57,920 Speaker 1: a hangar at one of the local private county air fields, 292 00:19:57,920 --> 00:20:02,080 Speaker 1: so it's a really odd location. So the story was 293 00:20:02,280 --> 00:20:05,280 Speaker 1: that he had someone offered to sell him some books 294 00:20:05,280 --> 00:20:07,520 Speaker 1: through Crazy List, and he bought him when the guy 295 00:20:07,560 --> 00:20:10,240 Speaker 1: came out to the airfield and sold him to him. 296 00:20:10,280 --> 00:20:13,240 Speaker 1: This man had no idea that he was stealing was 297 00:20:13,280 --> 00:20:16,320 Speaker 1: stolen property, but I sensed that he should have. So 298 00:20:16,400 --> 00:20:19,840 Speaker 1: when we did, in fact lock the mooth down, security came. 299 00:20:20,400 --> 00:20:22,960 Speaker 1: It led not only to the recovery of all of 300 00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:27,320 Speaker 1: these expensive golden age Captain America's, but it led to 301 00:20:27,359 --> 00:20:30,320 Speaker 1: the suspect. The dealer had no choice but to give 302 00:20:30,320 --> 00:20:32,399 Speaker 1: it up to the police to stay out of trouble. 303 00:20:34,040 --> 00:20:38,760 Speaker 1: And here's something important to note. Possessing stolen property isn't 304 00:20:38,760 --> 00:20:41,720 Speaker 1: a crime as long as you didn't steal it or 305 00:20:41,960 --> 00:20:44,960 Speaker 1: admit you knew it was stolen. They hit your heart 306 00:20:45,000 --> 00:20:47,919 Speaker 1: on that when it's time to decide if you're a 307 00:20:48,040 --> 00:20:51,639 Speaker 1: thief or an innocent. If this old man had tripped 308 00:20:51,720 --> 00:20:54,680 Speaker 1: up and said something about he knew they were stolen, 309 00:20:54,720 --> 00:20:56,879 Speaker 1: but he didn't think he'd get caught, then he would 310 00:20:56,880 --> 00:21:00,159 Speaker 1: have been guilty. But he didn't know or said he 311 00:21:00,240 --> 00:21:01,919 Speaker 1: doesn't know, and there's no way to prove it, and 312 00:21:02,040 --> 00:21:06,080 Speaker 1: less the suspect confest. But that's low hanging fruit at 313 00:21:06,119 --> 00:21:08,960 Speaker 1: that point. Once you have the suspect of law enforcements 314 00:21:09,040 --> 00:21:12,840 Speaker 1: less interested in the guy defense the items, So that's 315 00:21:12,840 --> 00:21:15,800 Speaker 1: a problem. Even if your stuff is recovered and you 316 00:21:15,840 --> 00:21:19,800 Speaker 1: want justice, that's two different things. Getting him this one 317 00:21:19,840 --> 00:21:24,480 Speaker 1: thing justice is a complete other bugaboo. It's why art 318 00:21:24,520 --> 00:21:29,280 Speaker 1: theft can be so lucrative and so low risk. Imagine 319 00:21:29,400 --> 00:21:33,359 Speaker 1: swiping a comic than trying to sell it then being caught. 320 00:21:34,000 --> 00:21:36,840 Speaker 1: If you're smart. All you'd have to say is that 321 00:21:36,880 --> 00:21:40,240 Speaker 1: a third party sold it to you and gee, you 322 00:21:40,280 --> 00:21:44,639 Speaker 1: didn't know it was a hot item, sorry, officer. Combine 323 00:21:44,720 --> 00:21:48,760 Speaker 1: that with the skepticism facing comic collectors, and you have 324 00:21:48,880 --> 00:21:53,040 Speaker 1: the recipe for a near perfect crime. It's no wonder 325 00:21:53,080 --> 00:21:57,960 Speaker 1: thieves were tempted by the collector's comics and cages. When 326 00:21:58,040 --> 00:22:01,920 Speaker 1: it comes to collectors or mac shops having their books stolen, 327 00:22:02,520 --> 00:22:05,359 Speaker 1: Jamie doesn't think the law is acting as much of 328 00:22:05,359 --> 00:22:08,960 Speaker 1: a deterrent. In fact, his shop has been broken into 329 00:22:09,000 --> 00:22:12,560 Speaker 1: more than once, and even after handing over video and 330 00:22:12,720 --> 00:22:16,680 Speaker 1: other evidence to the district attorney, it's difficult for them 331 00:22:16,760 --> 00:22:21,160 Speaker 1: to act. So he came up with another solution, one 332 00:22:21,240 --> 00:22:25,480 Speaker 1: that probably would have solved Cage's problem. In our store, 333 00:22:25,680 --> 00:22:28,600 Speaker 1: we have a lot of expensive stuff. Now that I've 334 00:22:28,640 --> 00:22:31,919 Speaker 1: said that, my listeners are wondering if I'm an idiot. No. 335 00:22:32,160 --> 00:22:34,679 Speaker 1: The answer is if you come into the shop, all 336 00:22:34,720 --> 00:22:38,919 Speaker 1: you're gonna see her xerox printouts. Good stuff is stored elsewhere, 337 00:22:39,200 --> 00:22:42,560 Speaker 1: so we locked them in glass cases for appearance, but 338 00:22:42,640 --> 00:22:45,040 Speaker 1: they're nothing more than pieces of paper with a picture 339 00:22:45,040 --> 00:22:47,560 Speaker 1: on the Cage could have done something in his own home, 340 00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:50,560 Speaker 1: even to protect against ultra violet light. He could have 341 00:22:50,640 --> 00:22:53,119 Speaker 1: just made copies and frame them. They give him the 342 00:22:53,160 --> 00:22:55,240 Speaker 1: same thrill, and he knew he owned them. He didn't 343 00:22:55,320 --> 00:22:58,880 Speaker 1: have to showcase him. But that's just a difference between 344 00:22:59,119 --> 00:23:03,080 Speaker 1: what he's thinking and what I'm thinking. But in both 345 00:23:03,119 --> 00:23:08,160 Speaker 1: the Collector's case and Cages, the thief or thieves weren't 346 00:23:08,200 --> 00:23:12,560 Speaker 1: likely strangers. If he kept shifting that stuff around, then 347 00:23:12,800 --> 00:23:15,760 Speaker 1: those things were somewhere else in that wrong somebody knew 348 00:23:15,800 --> 00:23:18,359 Speaker 1: it well that would take a repeat have to be 349 00:23:18,440 --> 00:23:21,920 Speaker 1: somebody who had been there either more than once realized 350 00:23:22,200 --> 00:23:24,439 Speaker 1: there were more than these books on the wall that 351 00:23:24,520 --> 00:23:27,520 Speaker 1: meant the rest of them, or someplace else, or somebody 352 00:23:27,560 --> 00:23:29,880 Speaker 1: who had taken a tour of the room and had 353 00:23:30,240 --> 00:23:32,960 Speaker 1: seen other stuff, which would make it more grizzly for 354 00:23:33,359 --> 00:23:36,359 Speaker 1: Nick Cage, because then it was somebody worthy of his 355 00:23:36,440 --> 00:23:39,280 Speaker 1: time and friendship to do that only be ripped off. 356 00:23:39,800 --> 00:23:42,520 Speaker 1: These are the things, though, that a private investigator who 357 00:23:42,520 --> 00:23:45,280 Speaker 1: would have brought pain to Nicholas, because he would have 358 00:23:45,359 --> 00:23:49,399 Speaker 1: made him think deeply about people close to him until 359 00:23:49,840 --> 00:23:52,920 Speaker 1: the detective finally found a change in the armor. It's 360 00:23:52,960 --> 00:23:55,719 Speaker 1: just the way it works. I don't know if cage 361 00:23:56,440 --> 00:23:59,480 Speaker 1: if he hadn't hired a private investigator. Maybe he was 362 00:23:59,520 --> 00:24:03,080 Speaker 1: satisfied with the assurance, or maybe he just didn't want 363 00:24:03,080 --> 00:24:06,679 Speaker 1: anyone digging into his life, including people looking for the thieves, 364 00:24:06,920 --> 00:24:10,520 Speaker 1: because maybe he knew him in a different way. In fact, 365 00:24:10,680 --> 00:24:14,000 Speaker 1: he thinks it's far easier to traffic and stolen books 366 00:24:14,160 --> 00:24:17,919 Speaker 1: than you'd ever think. Possible. Problem is encouraged by the 367 00:24:17,960 --> 00:24:20,560 Speaker 1: fact that comics are so liquid they can be stolen 368 00:24:20,560 --> 00:24:23,040 Speaker 1: and sold to the next door down the block. The 369 00:24:23,119 --> 00:24:27,080 Speaker 1: back issue market is rife with people who are forced 370 00:24:27,119 --> 00:24:31,040 Speaker 1: feeding the public stolen books. Dealers have a cage problem 371 00:24:31,200 --> 00:24:34,760 Speaker 1: every time they put books out for sale, especially at 372 00:24:34,800 --> 00:24:39,560 Speaker 1: comic conventions, so that if you're a pair of thieves 373 00:24:39,600 --> 00:24:42,879 Speaker 1: and there's one person working at a booth, all those 374 00:24:42,920 --> 00:24:47,680 Speaker 1: booths have wall displays, one of the two will ask 375 00:24:47,760 --> 00:24:51,040 Speaker 1: the person in the booth to turn around and get 376 00:24:51,080 --> 00:24:53,520 Speaker 1: a price tag off that book at the top for him, 377 00:24:53,520 --> 00:24:56,280 Speaker 1: because he can't see it from where he's standing in 378 00:24:56,400 --> 00:25:00,200 Speaker 1: that moment, either that person is stealing or another us 379 00:25:00,200 --> 00:25:02,320 Speaker 1: and next to him, who was in that person's blind 380 00:25:02,320 --> 00:25:04,840 Speaker 1: spot as well as stealing. This happens all the time. 381 00:25:05,280 --> 00:25:08,520 Speaker 1: The other tell is a comic con. For instance, they 382 00:25:08,560 --> 00:25:11,639 Speaker 1: hand out these massive tote bags and they hang on 383 00:25:11,800 --> 00:25:15,960 Speaker 1: straps over your shoulder so that the opening of the 384 00:25:16,000 --> 00:25:20,200 Speaker 1: bag is about wigs tight, and they'll use the same dodge. 385 00:25:20,320 --> 00:25:24,000 Speaker 1: They'll get your attention, and then they'll have you distracted, 386 00:25:24,119 --> 00:25:27,040 Speaker 1: and then they'll simply scoop stuff off your table into 387 00:25:27,040 --> 00:25:30,240 Speaker 1: one of those conveniently placed bags and move on their way. 388 00:25:32,440 --> 00:25:37,639 Speaker 1: The stores the problems theft. Graded books are the choice 389 00:25:37,720 --> 00:25:41,239 Speaker 1: plumb because the public is willing to pay more for 390 00:25:41,320 --> 00:25:45,280 Speaker 1: a graded book, knowing that they'll pay close to retail. 391 00:25:45,359 --> 00:25:49,800 Speaker 1: The thieves target those raw comics are a harder sale 392 00:25:50,640 --> 00:25:54,000 Speaker 1: because so many stores don't know how to grade, they 393 00:25:54,040 --> 00:25:56,400 Speaker 1: don't know what the books are worth, and they're reluctant 394 00:25:56,440 --> 00:25:59,160 Speaker 1: to pay in your wheel money. And it's unbelievable, it's 395 00:25:59,200 --> 00:26:03,120 Speaker 1: just it's just stamick. And I can't explain the organization 396 00:26:03,200 --> 00:26:06,960 Speaker 1: behind this, but there certainly seems to be some sort 397 00:26:07,000 --> 00:26:11,080 Speaker 1: of common knowledge, if not a greater connection. And these 398 00:26:11,080 --> 00:26:14,879 Speaker 1: are all problems. These are the tells. Tells are the locations, 399 00:26:15,359 --> 00:26:19,399 Speaker 1: The hands are the demons, tools, and the inability for 400 00:26:20,480 --> 00:26:23,760 Speaker 1: comic bookstores to play policemen or to be trained to 401 00:26:23,840 --> 00:26:27,320 Speaker 1: do this is inevitable or not supposed to be. Cops 402 00:26:27,359 --> 00:26:34,120 Speaker 1: were just retailers, but there's still a difference between unloading 403 00:26:34,119 --> 00:26:38,080 Speaker 1: a valuable comic and getting someone interested in an action 404 00:26:38,200 --> 00:26:42,439 Speaker 1: number one, and it's possible that both the collector and 405 00:26:42,720 --> 00:26:46,639 Speaker 1: cage thieves realized just how hard it was going to 406 00:26:46,720 --> 00:26:57,960 Speaker 1: be only after they had the goods. The collector was 407 00:26:58,000 --> 00:27:00,280 Speaker 1: in a big hurry to get back to new work. 408 00:27:00,720 --> 00:27:03,840 Speaker 1: He brought the safe downstairs and left it in the kitchen. 409 00:27:04,359 --> 00:27:07,440 Speaker 1: It was upsetting, but he really didn't have the time 410 00:27:07,440 --> 00:27:10,680 Speaker 1: to deal with it, not right then. Jeff and Anne 411 00:27:10,800 --> 00:27:13,639 Speaker 1: didn't even know the collector had a safe when I 412 00:27:13,680 --> 00:27:16,160 Speaker 1: had no idea he was a collector. He had things 413 00:27:16,200 --> 00:27:19,359 Speaker 1: like that. It was obvious that whoever had taken the 414 00:27:19,359 --> 00:27:23,439 Speaker 1: earrings had also helped themselves to the comics, but the 415 00:27:23,520 --> 00:27:26,840 Speaker 1: party had muddied the waters. Had it been a guest 416 00:27:27,520 --> 00:27:30,760 Speaker 1: or had one of the collector's many helpers used the 417 00:27:30,800 --> 00:27:34,480 Speaker 1: party as a cover to confuse detectives. There were no 418 00:27:34,600 --> 00:27:38,160 Speaker 1: signs of forced entry, so whoever the culprit was, they 419 00:27:38,200 --> 00:27:40,840 Speaker 1: didn't need to break a window or shimmy a doorlock 420 00:27:40,960 --> 00:27:51,160 Speaker 1: to get access, and that narrowed things down. A few 421 00:27:51,280 --> 00:27:56,359 Speaker 1: days later in November, the collector finally phoned the Westport 422 00:27:56,440 --> 00:28:00,119 Speaker 1: Police Department and explained what had happened. That his two 423 00:28:00,280 --> 00:28:04,359 Speaker 1: rare comics had been stolen, oh and and earrings too. 424 00:28:04,680 --> 00:28:07,760 Speaker 1: But even though Anne's property had been swiped, she and 425 00:28:07,840 --> 00:28:11,200 Speaker 1: Jeff were in an awkward position. They were the full 426 00:28:11,200 --> 00:28:15,040 Speaker 1: time occupants of the property with access to the entire house, 427 00:28:15,600 --> 00:28:19,639 Speaker 1: so detectives sympathized with and missing jewelry, but they also 428 00:28:19,800 --> 00:28:24,159 Speaker 1: had to question both of them. The problem was the 429 00:28:24,160 --> 00:28:27,800 Speaker 1: collector had shown Jeff and Anne the bedroom, which they 430 00:28:27,920 --> 00:28:32,560 Speaker 1: never usually went into, to explain what had happened. This 431 00:28:32,640 --> 00:28:36,639 Speaker 1: turned out to be slightly unsettling for Anne. I just 432 00:28:36,720 --> 00:28:39,800 Speaker 1: remember it showed us everything, and then in the end 433 00:28:39,800 --> 00:28:42,040 Speaker 1: it was like, well, police is going to come and 434 00:28:42,120 --> 00:28:44,760 Speaker 1: check everything. And then Jeff and I were like, well, 435 00:28:44,760 --> 00:28:48,160 Speaker 1: we touched everything, and I think that was another reason 436 00:28:48,240 --> 00:28:52,120 Speaker 1: why we were not staying investigative, but asked as well, yes, 437 00:28:52,320 --> 00:28:56,600 Speaker 1: they talked to me, and then I remember Jeff wasn't there, 438 00:28:56,960 --> 00:28:59,720 Speaker 1: so they just talked to me and they told me 439 00:28:59,800 --> 00:29:03,040 Speaker 1: that fingerprints it found my fingerprints up there, and then 440 00:29:03,080 --> 00:29:06,640 Speaker 1: I had to just tell them, Well, yeah, because we 441 00:29:06,720 --> 00:29:09,440 Speaker 1: all went up to look at it, and then yeah, 442 00:29:09,560 --> 00:29:12,840 Speaker 1: you open things and you lean against stuff. I was like, 443 00:29:12,920 --> 00:29:16,200 Speaker 1: I've never seen this room before. I've never was up 444 00:29:16,200 --> 00:29:20,440 Speaker 1: there before. Detectives took away the Century Safe Model sixteen 445 00:29:20,520 --> 00:29:24,440 Speaker 1: ten and photographed the closet area. Then they put out 446 00:29:24,480 --> 00:29:28,480 Speaker 1: a kind of a c B or All Comics bulletin 447 00:29:29,040 --> 00:29:31,400 Speaker 1: asking comic shops in the area to be on the 448 00:29:31,400 --> 00:29:34,960 Speaker 1: lookout for the missing titles. And then they began looking 449 00:29:35,000 --> 00:29:38,600 Speaker 1: more closely at the cast of the collector's vacation home. 450 00:29:40,280 --> 00:29:45,240 Speaker 1: That left Linda the housekeeper, Rodney the driver, and Joe 451 00:29:45,360 --> 00:29:50,600 Speaker 1: the contractor each had unsupervised access to the home, and 452 00:29:50,720 --> 00:29:55,160 Speaker 1: in some cases more than just access. It's not fair 453 00:29:55,240 --> 00:30:00,480 Speaker 1: to call them suspects. Let's call them interviewees. The first 454 00:30:00,680 --> 00:30:03,920 Speaker 1: was Linda. Linda had been with the collector for about 455 00:30:04,000 --> 00:30:07,080 Speaker 1: a year and was introduced through a relative of hers. 456 00:30:07,760 --> 00:30:10,960 Speaker 1: The collector told police that Linda had access to his 457 00:30:11,040 --> 00:30:14,200 Speaker 1: valuables and in all the time she had been working 458 00:30:14,240 --> 00:30:17,320 Speaker 1: for him, nothing had ever come up missing. Was she 459 00:30:17,400 --> 00:30:20,240 Speaker 1: going to snap one day and pry open a safe? 460 00:30:20,760 --> 00:30:25,840 Speaker 1: It seemed unlikely. Although Anne had her doubts. I always 461 00:30:25,840 --> 00:30:28,840 Speaker 1: like we were going through it, and at that time 462 00:30:28,920 --> 00:30:33,240 Speaker 1: I said it was the housekeeper or she was involved 463 00:30:33,280 --> 00:30:36,080 Speaker 1: in it. I don't know. I didn't like her demeanor, 464 00:30:36,120 --> 00:30:39,520 Speaker 1: I didn't like I don't know, but as a ninety 465 00:30:39,600 --> 00:30:43,160 Speaker 1: year old, you can whatever. And then I have no idea. 466 00:30:43,560 --> 00:30:46,000 Speaker 1: I mean, I think it was an inside job. They 467 00:30:46,040 --> 00:30:50,560 Speaker 1: also spoke to Joe, the contractor. Joe was an interesting person, 468 00:30:51,240 --> 00:30:54,440 Speaker 1: a person of interest, one could say, while he was 469 00:30:54,480 --> 00:30:57,800 Speaker 1: also a trusted member of the collector's circle, having done 470 00:30:57,800 --> 00:31:01,320 Speaker 1: work at several of the collector's proper these for several years. 471 00:31:01,920 --> 00:31:06,160 Speaker 1: Joe sometimes brought along helpers. There was a guy named Ed. 472 00:31:07,080 --> 00:31:10,280 Speaker 1: Ed was once left alone in the house for several hours, 473 00:31:11,360 --> 00:31:15,000 Speaker 1: but Joe insisted Ed was a family friend, not of 474 00:31:15,040 --> 00:31:19,680 Speaker 1: the collectors, but of Joe's family, and Ed was trustworthy. 475 00:31:19,680 --> 00:31:22,760 Speaker 1: Probably knew his way around a crowbar, but that's neither 476 00:31:22,880 --> 00:31:26,760 Speaker 1: here nor there. Joe insisted he had no idea the 477 00:31:26,800 --> 00:31:30,560 Speaker 1: collector even had a safe let alone what was inside 478 00:31:30,560 --> 00:31:36,840 Speaker 1: of it. Detectives also spoke to Rodney, the collector's driver. 479 00:31:37,720 --> 00:31:42,000 Speaker 1: Rodney was well special. He had been working for the 480 00:31:42,080 --> 00:31:45,880 Speaker 1: collector for about three years, constantly coming and going from 481 00:31:45,920 --> 00:31:49,680 Speaker 1: the home like the others, he had house keys. But 482 00:31:49,800 --> 00:31:53,440 Speaker 1: what made Rodney different was that he had the combination 483 00:31:53,800 --> 00:31:57,520 Speaker 1: to the safe in the upstairs bedroom. The collector had 484 00:31:57,560 --> 00:32:00,480 Speaker 1: given it to him so Rodney could get his passport 485 00:32:00,560 --> 00:32:03,280 Speaker 1: for him once. This was when the safe was in 486 00:32:03,320 --> 00:32:06,960 Speaker 1: the collector's other home, but the safe had been opened 487 00:32:07,120 --> 00:32:11,680 Speaker 1: with force, not a combination. If Rodney was the culprit, 488 00:32:11,800 --> 00:32:16,360 Speaker 1: it's possible the combination had revealed to him the valuables inside, 489 00:32:16,800 --> 00:32:20,560 Speaker 1: but didn't leave him any options If he took anything, 490 00:32:20,760 --> 00:32:24,000 Speaker 1: and the collector hadn't given the combination to anyone else, 491 00:32:24,600 --> 00:32:30,000 Speaker 1: that's one giant flapping red flag. If Rodney pried it open, 492 00:32:30,600 --> 00:32:35,320 Speaker 1: that would certainly widen the pool of suspects. Rodney, though 493 00:32:35,520 --> 00:32:38,520 Speaker 1: didn't seem like he had much to hide. He openly 494 00:32:38,560 --> 00:32:41,800 Speaker 1: admitted to having the combination to the safe. He also 495 00:32:41,880 --> 00:32:44,959 Speaker 1: said he sometimes brought along his stepson or a friend 496 00:32:45,080 --> 00:32:48,400 Speaker 1: to help him with errands, but no, he had no 497 00:32:48,480 --> 00:32:52,959 Speaker 1: idea who had taken the comics. After a round of interviews, 498 00:32:53,400 --> 00:32:57,200 Speaker 1: detectives didn't have much more than archetypes to go on. 499 00:32:57,840 --> 00:33:02,400 Speaker 1: The maid, the driver, the contractor. It was like a 500 00:33:02,560 --> 00:33:08,120 Speaker 1: Bizarro game of clue. The driver in the bedroom with 501 00:33:08,240 --> 00:33:14,520 Speaker 1: the pride bar and the action number one. What made 502 00:33:14,520 --> 00:33:17,760 Speaker 1: the case even more complicated was that the collector had 503 00:33:17,800 --> 00:33:21,360 Speaker 1: held a birthday party that fall, with roughly a hundred 504 00:33:21,360 --> 00:33:25,560 Speaker 1: and twenty friends and family attending. There were caterers and 505 00:33:25,680 --> 00:33:31,160 Speaker 1: tents and food and drinks, even a DJ. So for me, 506 00:33:31,400 --> 00:33:34,400 Speaker 1: I think Jeff recalls it differently, but I thought there 507 00:33:34,480 --> 00:33:37,560 Speaker 1: was a huge party and he had invited us to. 508 00:33:37,800 --> 00:33:41,640 Speaker 1: We were around, but it was all outside and people 509 00:33:41,640 --> 00:33:43,720 Speaker 1: would just come in, I guess, to go into the bathroom, 510 00:33:44,040 --> 00:33:46,800 Speaker 1: but there were servers there at least there was a 511 00:33:46,840 --> 00:33:49,560 Speaker 1: band too, and it was under a big tent in 512 00:33:49,600 --> 00:33:54,160 Speaker 1: the backyard. And after that I remember that he had 513 00:33:54,280 --> 00:33:57,400 Speaker 1: said someone broke into the safe, and I thought it 514 00:33:57,520 --> 00:34:00,760 Speaker 1: must have happened at the party. R He did have 515 00:34:00,920 --> 00:34:04,280 Speaker 1: one thing to add during his talk with police. He 516 00:34:04,440 --> 00:34:06,800 Speaker 1: told them that some of the workers with the tent 517 00:34:06,960 --> 00:34:11,719 Speaker 1: company had migrated inside into the living room. That wasn't 518 00:34:11,760 --> 00:34:16,720 Speaker 1: really where they were supposed to be. If the collector 519 00:34:16,800 --> 00:34:20,920 Speaker 1: was feeling paranoid at this point, that was understandable. He 520 00:34:21,000 --> 00:34:23,400 Speaker 1: had opened his home to a number of people he 521 00:34:23,480 --> 00:34:27,120 Speaker 1: felt he could trust, and someone had betrayed that trust 522 00:34:27,760 --> 00:34:32,440 Speaker 1: and taken two very valuable comics. What was worse was 523 00:34:32,480 --> 00:34:35,880 Speaker 1: that the collector hadn't been in that closet for months, 524 00:34:36,520 --> 00:34:41,720 Speaker 1: not since September of the theft could have taken place 525 00:34:41,880 --> 00:34:45,759 Speaker 1: any time from September to November, which was when he 526 00:34:45,840 --> 00:34:49,399 Speaker 1: checked the safe again. He had no idea who could 527 00:34:49,400 --> 00:34:53,600 Speaker 1: have done it. And because he had no idea, Jeff 528 00:34:53,640 --> 00:34:57,080 Speaker 1: and Anne were about to get some bad news. The 529 00:34:57,200 --> 00:35:01,080 Speaker 1: collector wanted them to leave. I didn't feel good in 530 00:35:01,200 --> 00:35:05,160 Speaker 1: my gut anymore to be there, and I think shortly 531 00:35:05,160 --> 00:35:08,080 Speaker 1: after that we found a home place and moved out. 532 00:35:09,520 --> 00:35:13,359 Speaker 1: It wasn't a hostile split. It was as amicable as 533 00:35:13,360 --> 00:35:17,359 Speaker 1: it could be given the circumstances. But the collector just 534 00:35:17,440 --> 00:35:20,200 Speaker 1: didn't know who in the house could have taken the comics. 535 00:35:21,280 --> 00:35:23,800 Speaker 1: It no longer made sense to have a full time 536 00:35:23,840 --> 00:35:27,279 Speaker 1: house setting couple there. At best, they hadn't been much 537 00:35:27,280 --> 00:35:30,520 Speaker 1: of a deterrent when it came to a robbery. By 538 00:35:30,560 --> 00:35:35,040 Speaker 1: February two thousand, with the police failing to generate any leads, 539 00:35:35,400 --> 00:35:39,279 Speaker 1: the collector's insurance company paid his claim a total of 540 00:35:39,360 --> 00:35:44,120 Speaker 1: two hundred and forty thousand dollars for both comics and 541 00:35:44,239 --> 00:35:48,239 Speaker 1: ear rings were all but forgotten. Perhaps the only man 542 00:35:48,320 --> 00:35:50,960 Speaker 1: in the world who could feel the collector's pain was 543 00:35:51,080 --> 00:35:55,160 Speaker 1: across the country. Nicolas Cage was still in the throes 544 00:35:55,280 --> 00:35:58,200 Speaker 1: of brief after his copy of Action number one had 545 00:35:58,239 --> 00:36:04,880 Speaker 1: been stolen after a party with many suspects. Here's Jamie Newbold. 546 00:36:06,520 --> 00:36:09,000 Speaker 1: Cage is one of our people. He's one of my people. 547 00:36:09,600 --> 00:36:12,760 Speaker 1: I understand exactly what he must be thinking or half 548 00:36:12,760 --> 00:36:14,960 Speaker 1: thought when that happened, how it felt to him. We 549 00:36:15,000 --> 00:36:19,440 Speaker 1: all do. We are collectors first and then dealers second. 550 00:36:20,200 --> 00:36:22,320 Speaker 1: We don't go to comic book college and get a 551 00:36:22,400 --> 00:36:25,799 Speaker 1: b A and comic ology. You are a fan from 552 00:36:25,840 --> 00:36:28,360 Speaker 1: the get go, and you become a lover of this stuff, 553 00:36:28,440 --> 00:36:32,280 Speaker 1: and then the buying, selling and trading becomes an act 554 00:36:32,760 --> 00:36:35,080 Speaker 1: where you're playing out the hobby to a much more 555 00:36:35,120 --> 00:36:39,000 Speaker 1: satisfying degree. Now you're a player. Finally, when you reach 556 00:36:39,080 --> 00:36:43,400 Speaker 1: my level, it's a living. And when you're robbed of 557 00:36:43,480 --> 00:36:50,120 Speaker 1: your living, jeez, yeah, it's miserable. The parallels to the 558 00:36:50,160 --> 00:36:54,680 Speaker 1: Cage crime are uncannon and and Jeff left without knowing 559 00:36:54,760 --> 00:36:58,880 Speaker 1: who the culprit was, and today the Westport Police Department 560 00:36:58,960 --> 00:37:02,640 Speaker 1: has no record of the case being closed, which means 561 00:37:02,680 --> 00:37:05,640 Speaker 1: the police didn't find the thief or thieves, and no 562 00:37:05,880 --> 00:37:10,080 Speaker 1: charges were ever filed against anyone. Not even Stephen Fishler 563 00:37:10,200 --> 00:37:13,759 Speaker 1: is quite sure what happened. We tried to find the housekeeper, 564 00:37:13,840 --> 00:37:19,240 Speaker 1: but there's nary a trace of her anywhere. The driver, Rodney, unfortunately, 565 00:37:19,280 --> 00:37:21,719 Speaker 1: he passed away a number of years back, and a 566 00:37:21,800 --> 00:37:26,600 Speaker 1: relative says they don't know anything about the comics. The contractor, Joe, 567 00:37:26,800 --> 00:37:29,960 Speaker 1: doesn't know anything either. But here's what we do know. 568 00:37:30,760 --> 00:37:35,040 Speaker 1: The collector got his comics back, both of them. Each 569 00:37:35,120 --> 00:37:38,960 Speaker 1: comic has markings that identified them as being specific copies 570 00:37:39,040 --> 00:37:42,719 Speaker 1: belonging to their original owners back in ninety eight and 571 00:37:42,840 --> 00:37:46,240 Speaker 1: nineteen thirty nine. Like the d copy of the Marvel 572 00:37:46,320 --> 00:37:49,960 Speaker 1: Mystery comics that surfaced after being stolen from Cage's house, 573 00:37:50,480 --> 00:37:54,640 Speaker 1: The Action number one belonged to a pedigreed collection which 574 00:37:54,680 --> 00:37:58,800 Speaker 1: had been discovered back in the nineteen sixties. That particular 575 00:37:58,880 --> 00:38:02,360 Speaker 1: copy of Action number one made history when it sold 576 00:38:02,440 --> 00:38:06,600 Speaker 1: for one million dollars, in the first time a comic 577 00:38:06,680 --> 00:38:10,839 Speaker 1: has ever reached that magical number, the very same copy 578 00:38:10,960 --> 00:38:15,320 Speaker 1: that had gone missing from the collector's house. His copy 579 00:38:15,360 --> 00:38:18,600 Speaker 1: of Batman number one sold for even more a few 580 00:38:18,680 --> 00:38:21,279 Speaker 1: years later, and In a sign of the current state 581 00:38:21,320 --> 00:38:25,400 Speaker 1: of the hobby, it wound up with a company named Rally. 582 00:38:25,440 --> 00:38:29,440 Speaker 1: They sell shares of comics like the stock market. You 583 00:38:29,520 --> 00:38:32,000 Speaker 1: buy a share of a rare book, and when it's 584 00:38:32,000 --> 00:38:35,120 Speaker 1: time to resell it, you also share in part of 585 00:38:35,120 --> 00:38:39,960 Speaker 1: the profit, assuming it appreciates in value. Each share is 586 00:38:40,040 --> 00:38:44,759 Speaker 1: just ten dollars. In other words, both comics had been 587 00:38:44,800 --> 00:38:47,680 Speaker 1: returned to him. They had to have been since he 588 00:38:47,719 --> 00:38:52,839 Speaker 1: eventually sold them. So we asked the collector more than 589 00:38:52,960 --> 00:38:57,600 Speaker 1: once what happened to his comics, who had taken them 590 00:38:57,640 --> 00:39:03,480 Speaker 1: and why, But he didn't respond. Being from the cold 591 00:39:03,560 --> 00:39:07,080 Speaker 1: case stolen comic division of podcasting didn't seem to make 592 00:39:07,160 --> 00:39:10,200 Speaker 1: much of an impression on him, and and Jeff never 593 00:39:10,239 --> 00:39:13,600 Speaker 1: spoke with him again either. So, I mean, we haven't 594 00:39:13,600 --> 00:39:16,080 Speaker 1: even thought about it. I just heard that like a 595 00:39:16,160 --> 00:39:18,160 Speaker 1: couple of years ago that he was a partner or 596 00:39:18,200 --> 00:39:21,719 Speaker 1: something of the could have been a basketball did he own, 597 00:39:21,920 --> 00:39:24,200 Speaker 1: was an owner of a basketball team or something that 598 00:39:24,400 --> 00:39:26,560 Speaker 1: where a name came up, or he was on the TV. 599 00:39:26,880 --> 00:39:30,760 Speaker 1: And then we talked about a briefly what happened between 600 00:39:30,760 --> 00:39:34,520 Speaker 1: the comics disappearing in two thousand and the Action number 601 00:39:34,600 --> 00:39:39,040 Speaker 1: one coming up for sale in It's possible whoever took 602 00:39:39,080 --> 00:39:42,200 Speaker 1: the comics decided the books were too hot to unload, 603 00:39:43,120 --> 00:39:45,600 Speaker 1: or maybe the collector let it be known that he'd 604 00:39:45,680 --> 00:39:48,719 Speaker 1: let the matter drop if the books were returned unharmed, 605 00:39:49,600 --> 00:39:53,320 Speaker 1: or maybe if the thief was very crafty, they ransomed 606 00:39:53,400 --> 00:39:56,640 Speaker 1: the books back to the collector. Whatever it was, it 607 00:39:56,719 --> 00:40:01,880 Speaker 1: didn't involve the police. So it's the real connection between 608 00:40:01,920 --> 00:40:04,960 Speaker 1: the theft of the collector's copy of Action number one 609 00:40:05,480 --> 00:40:09,760 Speaker 1: and cages copy. Did the same person do it weeks 610 00:40:09,760 --> 00:40:15,560 Speaker 1: apart on different coasts. No, that doesn't seem likely, But 611 00:40:15,680 --> 00:40:19,720 Speaker 1: these two cases are connected in a very real way. 612 00:40:20,200 --> 00:40:23,319 Speaker 1: Talk to a law enforcement official about art crime, and 613 00:40:23,400 --> 00:40:27,200 Speaker 1: you'll hear the same thing again and again. An art 614 00:40:27,239 --> 00:40:31,080 Speaker 1: heist is often preceded by media coverage of the art 615 00:40:31,160 --> 00:40:34,920 Speaker 1: in question, something to alert the thief that an item 616 00:40:35,040 --> 00:40:39,480 Speaker 1: within their reach has real value. Just a few weeks 617 00:40:39,560 --> 00:40:44,000 Speaker 1: before Cage's Action number one was stolen, a newspaper, The 618 00:40:44,040 --> 00:40:50,000 Speaker 1: Norwalk Hour ran a story about the collector's misfortune. Extra 619 00:40:50,120 --> 00:40:53,239 Speaker 1: Extra read all about it. It didn't name him, but 620 00:40:53,360 --> 00:40:55,880 Speaker 1: it did go on to state that his Action number 621 00:40:55,920 --> 00:40:58,680 Speaker 1: one had been taken and that it was valued at 622 00:40:58,760 --> 00:41:02,759 Speaker 1: two hundred thousand dollars. That story was then picked up 623 00:41:02,760 --> 00:41:06,279 Speaker 1: by the Associated Press and the New York Times, which 624 00:41:06,320 --> 00:41:10,240 Speaker 1: repeated the value of the comic two hundred thousand dollars. 625 00:41:10,920 --> 00:41:15,160 Speaker 1: Two thieves across the country likely never met, never knew 626 00:41:15,160 --> 00:41:19,920 Speaker 1: one another, but one inspired the other. The article was 627 00:41:19,960 --> 00:41:25,080 Speaker 1: a big flashing neon sign, come and take me, come 628 00:41:25,160 --> 00:41:31,799 Speaker 1: and steal Superman. How else is two hundred thousand dollars 629 00:41:31,800 --> 00:41:36,200 Speaker 1: ever going to fit inside your jacket? One thief had 630 00:41:36,280 --> 00:41:41,000 Speaker 1: created a bizarre thief. And in case you are wondering, no, 631 00:41:41,960 --> 00:41:47,120 Speaker 1: and never got her earrings back. No nobody ever told 632 00:41:47,239 --> 00:41:53,360 Speaker 1: us or there was never police report or a conversation, nothing. Now, 633 00:41:53,840 --> 00:41:56,080 Speaker 1: I had told them to about the hearings, but that 634 00:41:56,200 --> 00:41:59,960 Speaker 1: was minor. There was no investigation on that at all. 635 00:42:00,280 --> 00:42:02,600 Speaker 1: That was just a little thing on the side. I 636 00:42:02,640 --> 00:42:06,640 Speaker 1: guess one Action number one had been recovered and the 637 00:42:06,719 --> 00:42:10,760 Speaker 1: collector could breathe a sigh of relief. But Nicholas Cage 638 00:42:11,000 --> 00:42:16,000 Speaker 1: was not so fortunate. The case was cold, really cold. 639 00:42:16,640 --> 00:42:20,120 Speaker 1: It wouldn't heat up again until two thousand and two. 640 00:42:20,800 --> 00:42:24,400 Speaker 1: That's when his copy of Action Comics Number one was 641 00:42:24,440 --> 00:42:29,200 Speaker 1: spotted in Memphis. The home of Nicolas Cage's other favorite 642 00:42:29,200 --> 00:42:34,279 Speaker 1: hero and where apparently someone was looking to pass off 643 00:42:34,719 --> 00:42:38,680 Speaker 1: his Action Number one for the right price, and this 644 00:42:38,760 --> 00:42:43,680 Speaker 1: time the police were ready. That's next time on Stealing Superman. 645 00:42:48,920 --> 00:42:52,880 Speaker 1: Stealing Superman is written by Jake Rawson, sound design and 646 00:42:52,960 --> 00:42:57,760 Speaker 1: score by Jonathan Washington, additional production support by Josh Fisher, 647 00:42:58,239 --> 00:43:03,400 Speaker 1: Original music by Aaron Kaufman, mixing and mastering by Baheed Fraser, 648 00:43:03,920 --> 00:43:07,719 Speaker 1: Research and fact checking by Jake Rawson and Austin Thompson, 649 00:43:08,120 --> 00:43:12,840 Speaker 1: with production support from Lulu Philip. Additional voices by Ruthie 650 00:43:12,880 --> 00:43:17,560 Speaker 1: Stevens and Ben Bowan, show logo by Lucy Quintinia. Our 651 00:43:17,600 --> 00:43:22,520 Speaker 1: executive producer is Jason English and I'm your host Danish Wartz. 652 00:43:22,719 --> 00:43:26,320 Speaker 1: If you're enjoying this show, check out Haileywood and Noble 653 00:43:26,360 --> 00:43:29,480 Speaker 1: Blood and give us a nice review. We'll see you 654 00:43:29,520 --> 00:43:33,640 Speaker 1: next week. Stealing Superman is a production of I Heart Radio.