't is the season ...

[Figleaf]

Coins returned 34 years later
Pieces stolen from high school locker in 1976 show up in owner's mailbox
By Jennie Runevitch, 12/29/2010

GREENSBURG, Ind. — Ever make up for a mistake years afterward? A Greensburg man who had a coin collection stolen in high school had it unexpectedly returned by someone determined to do the right thing.
The coins came with an anonymous apology delivered decades later.

While opening a stack of mail last week, Jimmy Colson discovered a surprise with no stamp, no return address and no outward sign of significance.

"I saw an envelope folded over, and it had my name on it, Jimmy Colson, and when I opened it up, there's a package in there, felt like something heavy in it, wrapped in cardboard. Then out rolled three coins, and without reading the note, I knew exactly what they were," Colson said.

Colson hadn't seen the 1923 Peace dollar, 1897 Morgan dollar and 1903 Indian Head penny in 34 years, not since he was a sophomore at Greensburg Community High School.

It was 1976 and Colson had taken his coins to school show some friends.

He left them in his locker, but by the end of the week they were gone, stolen and largely forgotten, until that unexpected envelope arrived just days before Christmas with a Post-it note inside.

"It says, 'took it out of your locker some 30 years ago. Signed, sorry, 'dumb kid.' I just had this rush like — oh, my. What is going on here? It's been 34 years! Then my mind started wandering, was it somebody who didn't have my address before? Was it somebody sick, you know, that was wanting to make things right?

When kids do things like that, they will hock them, spend them or God knows whatever, but never keep them, but this person did, and they did the right thing," Colson said. "To this day, I have no clue who, when and why they brought them back."

After all these years, the coins have grown in value, but to Colson, it's not about the money.
"It's the note in there saying I'm sorry I took them, you know, I was the dumb kid. That is worth more than the coins are even today."

He calls it a courageous act of conscience and a lesson in honesty and forgiveness delivered decades later to his doorstep.

"They're forgiven," Colson said. "I would just like to have an ending to the story, know who it is and their mindset and tell them there's definitely no hard feelings."

Colson said if he's contacted by the person who regretted their high school crime, he'd give them one of the silver dollars for being so honest.

Source: MSN

[chrisild]

Strange that somebody would return those coins after so many years. Maybe his anonymous high school "friend" had a collection of his own, lost interest in coins, like quite a few people, and recently re-discovered numismatics. And then there were these coins ...

Don't think Mr Colson will find out who the other guy is.

Christian