Orlando -- A coin dealer attending the Florida United Numismatists' annual convention here was robbed last Saturday of rare coins worth an estimated $4 million, the second consecutive year the event has been plagued by robbery, the Associated Press reported yesterday.
Three men wearing surgical masks and armed with knives attacked the dealer's assistant while he was unloading a sport utility vehicle in the valet parking line at the Peabody Hotel, the AP reported. One man held a knife to the assistant's throat while the other two men forced back bystanders, according to the report.
The stolen coins included a set of 1843 U.S. coins once owned by President John Tyler, said an official with the Orange County sheriff's department.
The annual meeting hosts the nation's largest coin show, attended by more than 15,000 collectors and dealers combined, according to the association. The convention was held Jan. 4-7 at the Orange County Convention Center.
Last year, about $450,000 worth of coins was stolen in five incidences involving dealers at the show, according to the AP report. It added that investigators were unsure whether there is any connection between this year's and last year's robberies.
The meeting organizers beefed up patrols by off-duty sheriff's deputies at the convention center and parking lot, and dealers were encouraged to unload their coins in a private, underground parking area, according to the report.
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