Thousands of dollars’ worth of antiques were stolen from CherryPicked Collectibles in Oliver B.C., on Monday.
According to the owner, Derrick Robson, many of the items that were taken were rare and on consignment.
“I had a large selection of rare hockey cards, I had a collection of currency from Canada and the U.S. dating back to 1835 and sports memorabilia,” he said.
Robson added that the thieves also grabbed antique jewelry, an 1860 baseball mitt, and a rare McCormick saddle.
“It’s destroyed inside, five cabinets have glasses smashed in. I have antique children’s pedal cars that were damaged. It is going to take a while to repair everything,” Robson added.
Unfortunately, Robson says that insurance does not cover the stolen antiques but only the cases that they were stored in.
But despite the damage, Robson is remaining positive and says he hopes to rebuild within a month.
“I do understand where they are coming from,” he said. “I am a former counsellor for youths with addictions; I am well aware with the struggles that people have.
“We can’t paint everyone with the same brush. We just need to band together to support ourselves and everybody else who is in business.”
The incident is under investigation and the RCMP are asking anyone with information about the break-in to contact them.
“This gentleman, a resident of Oliver, is a very positive person and people really enjoy his business,” said RCMP Sgt. Don Wrigglesworth.
“It is really unfortunate, and we are doing what we can to help and will continue with our investigation.”