*alert* SEVEN DISPLAY DOLLS MISSING FROM NY DOLPA

It has reached here and, I am happy to say, the few mutterings of "that's what you get for dealing with the US" are few, far between and quickly stamped on.

There are numerous groups scouring YJ!, eBay and local auction sites for (as mad as it seems) one idea which has won some favour is that the dolls were pilfered by a Japanese collector with a long arm and an evil mind (a FOAFtale if ever i heard one, but one which has galvanised the community nevertheless).

 

Wow, that sounds a little out there, doesn't it? That's implying there whole mafia involved here. XD

We're certainly getting really, really specific with our theories when we have so little evidence to work on. Let's just stick with what we know: Dolls were left on display, someone got in the room, took them, and left.

 

All these theory's are starting to get frustrating. I wish there was a thread for just factual updates only.

 

http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?t=220740

 

That really makes me sick. I've made a doll before, albeit not BJD, so I know all the work that goes into it. It's sad to see someone just lazily take what someone has worked so hard to create. It also reflects poorly on our society as well. Theft is so rampant in America, it's insane!

 

Right, in just the same way that art collectors never steal famous works of art, or knowingly purchase stolen famous works of art...

oh... wait...

Seriously, the speculation in this thread is insane.

Someone else mentioned that some dolls that had been stolen from somewhere else took months to turn up on ebay... that was informative, useful news... which is getting harder and harder to find in this thread.

 

Settle down with the stressing there. Just because you do not like the idea of people rambling their frustrations here does not invalidate those thoughts - as wild as they are.

I for one appreciate the conjecture and speculation, though I do have professional reasons for finding this type of soul-searching informative.

The question for me is why people go to such outlandish theories and how people interpret, reinterpret and renegotiate them over time. All of these little theories provide strange catharsis for those involved - so, as has been said before it seems a little churlish to unload onto someone who is venting strong held - if way out - beliefs *here* on this specific thread as long as they are not mangling the inventigation proper, nor clouding the other, more informative news thread.

And for thsoe who say speculation is useless, I say all is speculation till the thieves are caught and the dools recovered. My old Dad - in his capacity as an Osaka Detective before he retired and an ardant Sherlock Holmes Fan would remind us that even the most fanciful suppositions are not to be cast aside lightly.

Yuko

 

I suppose I'm just aggrivated at trying to find actual useful information on this subject, and not really finding any...

I don't care if people ramble their frustrations... but when you make solid statements like "It definetly IS/ISN'T this kind of person who stole them"... that bugs me a little.

 

This is just awful. At first, it was hard to believe that someone would actually steal such special dolls... its like walking into a museum and taking a portrait! I really do hope that the dolls are found and safely returned to Volks... Besides, its not like the person will be able to do anything with the stolen dolls, I mean, if they were to take pictures and post them, someone would recognize them. If they were to sell them online, I'm sure at least ONE person will realize that they are one-off dolls and get suspicious. God, I hope they're alright... that would be horrible if they got hurt... T_T

 

While I agree it´s awful that this has happened, unfortunately there´s nothing hard to believe about it: Thieves walk into museums or excavation sites basically all the time and steal art.

It´s not too long ago that even Edvard Munch´s famous Scream was taken from the museum it was displayed in. This is a really well-known painting, so you´d think the thieves would have no chance of selling it and anyone who´d buy it could never ever show it to anyone.

But that hasn´t deterred thieves from stealing and unscrupulous collectors from buying in the past in many other cases either. These artworks vanish into someone´s private collection and are never seen again unless by chance. There are enough collectors who are satisfied just by owning something and don´t feel the need to display it to others. And if they do, most people would assume it´s a copy anyway.

In the case of the Scream, the thieves asked for ransom from the museum. When it was denied, and the police came closer, it was feared that the thieves would burn the picture to destroy evidence. If people are that unscrupulous about a world-famous work of art that is an important piece of mankind´s cultural legacy - there´s no reason to expect that there are people about that are far less scrupulous about a couple of dolls. Especially if they are not doll people but "outsiders" who just happened to see some dolls they had heard were expensive unguarded and jumped at the opportunity.

Also... not everyone who collects BJDs takes pictures and posts them. I´m sure there are enough unscrupulous people out there who would buy these dolls in an instant when offered, even though (or maybe because) they recognize them. Also, people tend to forget quickly and a year from now, these dolls will very likely no longer be as recognizable as they are now that the news is still fresh - especially when redressed. Whoever has them then could claim to have customized their dolls to look like the stolen ones.

It´s sad but it´s not as difficult as we´d like it to be to sell or buy these dolls and get away with it. Check out the problem transaction board. How many stolen dolls have been spotted after their disappearance?

 

Hi I am so sorry about the volks dolpa that is very disturbing. I have an idea that might help, I was at the Tonner 2007 convention in Orlando and several- I believe about 9 very special and vaulable dolls were stolen from the displays and it would be so sad but, possible that a doll community person at the convention,, took them. Maybe it is the same person as the one at Volks. Perhaps you can get an attendees list from TOnner and Volks and compare names and see if there are some repeat names and maybe help to find the difficult person,

 

Saiko is correct: there are many collectors who are more than happy just to know they have an item; they have no need to show it.

My thoughts on the episode are that this was not an impulsive theft perpetrated by a "Disorganized" criminal type, but carried out by an very Organized personality, who probably didn't have a hard plan, but DID have enough information & preplanning that if opportunity should open, s/he/they could take advantage of it. Amateurs don't walk out with 7 dolls like that; they grab one (or at most, a couple) & then run like hell & hope for the best. Someone was waiting & watching for opportunity, which very sloppy & lax hotel security gave them.

IMO these dolls are gone. There's a huge black market for wealthy buyers of illicit art & artifacts (including dolls) no questions asked. Chances are they're already in a private collection somewhere, never to surface until perhaps someday when an executor is clearing out an estate & tries to sell them, unaware they're illicit - like the medieval illustrated MS pages that turned up in the estate of an ex-WWII-GI down in Texas a few years ago. IF they are intended to sell on the more open general markets, given the nature of the heist - 7 at one time, an organized personality involved - I'd be willing to bet they'll be held for at least a year, if not more, before coming out for sale. Only a rank (& very stupid) amateur would grab one & immediately put it up on ebay or anywhere else for that matter. If they're intended for resale, the thief is probably well prepared to wait for the furor to die down, & is not in need of immediate funds; they can afford to wait. However, I'm betting on the former scenario, that they're already placed with private collectors.

If I were Volks, I'd be suing the pants off the hotel & its security company. The hotel can post all the notices it wants that it's not liable for damages or loss due to thefts, etc., but under US law you can't preclude a tort, even if the offended party has signed a typical 'agreement' which includes the usual lame statement holding the offending party harmless. It's void. All the hotel can do is post such stuff & include it in any agreements with clients such as Volks, & hope the client is ignorant enough of reality to believe it & figure they have no recourse. After all, it's worth a try on the hotel's part, & most of the time it works, but it's a sham.

Just speculation, of course, like all the rest. Ignore if you don't like it.

 

Sorry but once again folks ---

NOT A HOTEL BUT A SCHOOL!!!

Please get the facts straight.

 

The Dolpa was held at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) as it's called, and according to my hubby who is from NY he thinks it could have been an inside job as well, but he also said that there are no camera's at that place, it's very sad indeed.

 

I would like to emphasize this, but I also feel that really this is a matter for the police to deal with. I understand sometimes it can be fun to throw around ideas about what could have happened, but it really can create a lot of skewed ideas that can do more harm than good. I think it's nice to offer condolences to those effected by the event, but I don't think it's a good idea to try to speculate too much and try to create so many connections when really we can't know all the facts. I'm sure the police are doing what they can.

 

Jesus, it's 34 pages into the thread and people are STILL saying it was at a hotel? Waswn't that corrected on page 2 or something?

 

I think a lot of people are saying hotel because someone did try and snatch a doll in the Gershiwin hiotel and was stopped by the hotel husher.

 

I really haven't read the whole thread and whatnot, but I believe that the chance of someone selling those dolls on eBay is very small. IF the stealer(s) had it all sorted out to the smallest detail, the crime would have been ordered by someone and pre-payd by the orderer. No-one would go selling them in internet or any other public market, really (unless, of course, they would be way too stupid). I still hope those dolls will be found.

 

Haha, well, I guess that, considering how many students fall asleep in random places in college, FIT could sort of be considered a hotel XP

 

Wow!
So sad to hear about this!
I really hope they are found soon