LAKE ECHO, N.S. – Heart-wrenching: That’s how a military memorabilia collector is describing the theft of dozens of rare medals from his property.
Steven Cochrane has been working on his collection since he was a child and has amassed a vast array of collectibles including medals, uniforms and religious items.
But sometime between Sept. 22 and 26, two plastic bins full of memorabilia were stolen from a camper parked outside his Lake Echo home. Although he doesn’t have an exact count on the number of items stolen, it’s estimated to be close to 100.
READ MORE: Rare collection of medals stolen from Lake Echo N.S.
The collection included medals from various wars, coronation medals from three monarchs, an Order of Canada and a rare East Timor Medal, which was only awarded to 35 Canadians.
“You can put a monetary value on them but that’s just a guess. To me, they are priceless,” he said.
Cochrane serves as chaplain of the Atlantic Canadian Military History Association and often travels with the group throughout the region to show his collection to the public as a way of preserving history.
He had just returned home from an event at a museum in New Ross, N.S., when he decided to leave the bins in his camper. He realized the bins, along with a few other items, were missing a few days later.
Cochrane said the fact he can no longer show the items to the public is particularly upsetting.
“I was trying to keep the Canadian history alive,” he said.
“Some people clean out their attics and they find boxes from their grandparents or from their father and they throw this stuff out. Or they don’t want it. So we come across these artifacts and we preserve them, so that way people can see them for many years to come.”
There are few places where the medals and collectibles can be sold, including antique stores and online websites.
Those who deal in military collectibles say they would not be easy to sell because most of the items are inscribed with names or have identifying marks.
“For one thing, it’s a very small community. We all pretty much know each other,” said Andrew Moss, the owner of Prospect of Whitby Antiques. “Anyone who would walk in with that quantity of medals, you’d have to ask some serious questions.”
But that inability to profit from the medals is also what concerns Cochrane.
He’s appealing to whoever has his collection to either turn it over to police or leave them in a safe place.
“That way they can get back and get put on display for Canadians to see.”
RCMP are investigating the theft and issued a news release over the weekend in a bid for information. Despite garnering a lot of attention online, no tips have come in.