A few days ago, I ordered a Johnson Products Chinatown Half set, along with an extra Chinese coin (so four coins total) from a seller here on the Café.

The envelope arrived in my mailbox today (June 9, 2023) — complete with a subtle but effective slice along one edge, and no coins inside.

Back in April of this year, I ordered from another Café seller a pair of 1964 (silver) quarters. Same thing happened: envelope arrived with careful slice along a corner side seam, and sans coins.

I should have learned my lesson after that April incident, but put it down to a one-off fluke; after all, I’ve bought coins via mail before, with no problems.

But once is a coincidence; twice is a pattern. (Or, “fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.”)

Again, these were from two different sellers, in two different parts of the country (New Jersey and North Dakota, respectively). It therefore suggests a dishonest USPS employee not in those towns, but in mine — or somewhere along whatever convoluted path where mail from those two states eventually converges before heading toward me (in Connecticut).

I have reported the theft to the USPS postal inspector, for whatever good it might do — even if it perhaps might only help prevent it happening to others in the future, if they can detect the thief.

In both cases, the coins were shipped in ordinary stationery envelopes. Precautions were taken to protect, disguise and camouflage their contents (cardboard, tape), but evidently the cunning thief saw through such efforts.

They were shipped without tracking numbers, making it doubly difficult to more deeply investigate (and no insurance, so there’s no reimbursing my loss from USPS).

I paid $10 for the April quarters, and $60 for today’s Chinatown set. So I’m out 70 bucks, and still don’t have the coins I sought.

So, consider this a public service announcement: don’t cheap out on shipping. Ensure that all coins you buy are packaged sufficiently securely as to avoid detection as mailed money. Ship Priority Mail for a tracking number — and to get at least a minimal amount of insurance (hey, 70 bucks is 70 bucks; that’s almost a day’s take-home pay for me).

Sorry to hear this. I had porch pirates scooping packed around my area for a while. Luckily it has not happened in a while. This just makes you wonder what they do with the coins after they open the package. It isn't like they can exactly be spent. Some, but not all.

When I ship my coin sets I use a cardboard cover the length of the envelope and it doesn’t show outline of coins . Just flat pack . So far years later no problem.

My 1964 quarters which were stolen quite possibly ended up in a vending machine, or else simply in someone’s pocket change.

The Johnson Products Chinatown Half, with two accompanying regular Johnson Chinese coins? Puzzling and worthless to a casual thief, they sadly may have ended up cast away into some gutter, or a trash dumpster.

Ugh. Makes me sick.

I’ve received several orders from professional gaff makers worth hundreds of dollars. None were insured, and I could never understand why.

I’ve been lucky thus far, but I will insist on insurance going forward.

Sorry for your loss, but thank you for the warning.

I generally mail coins folded snugly in a small plastic bag that's taped shut and then placed in a bubble-wrap mail envelope.
I've never had a problem.
I also "self insure" for low cost items but upgrade postage to priority mail and use the small flat rate boxes (which include $50 of insurance ) for most more expensive items.

From the Post Office:

Nonmachinable Criteria
A letter-size piece is nonmachinable (see 6.4) if it has one or more of the following
characteristics (see 601.1.4 to determine the length, height, top, and bottom of a
mailpiece):
a. Has an aspect ratio (length divided by height) of less than 1.3 or more than 2.5.
b. Is polybagged, polywrapped, or enclosed in any plastic material.
c. Has clasps, strings, buttons, or similar closure devices.
d. Contains items such as pens, pencils, or loose keys or coins that cause the
thickness of the mailpiece to be uneven (see 601.2.3, Odd-Shaped Items in
Paper Envelopes).

From the Internet:

Coins, or other hard objects, in a regular envelope can tear through the envelope as it goes through the mail processing equipment. It can damage that envelope, other mail close to it in the system, as well as the equipment.

I think hand processing would prevent coins being torn out by the sorting machines. So it may be as simple as the postal machines dislodging the coins verses a thin knife cut where the coin was.

Karnak, if you are ordering from private sellers, you can probably specify when you make the purchase (or before) that you'd the item packed a certain way, and even offer to pay a buck or two extra for the packing materials. Most sellers - at least those here on the Café - are fairly savvy and should know better. Those who aren't, may need some prodding so they put a little extra effort into their delivery.

Not sure if that helps.

In my case (two of them!), it was not a matter of machine mangling. I know what that looks like.

Both envelopes arrived with a surgical-quality slit along one edge — so perfect that it wasn’t even noticeable at first glance (and evidently not to the mail carrier who delivered it; they usually put damaged parcels into a plastic bag, along with an apology note).

We’re talking the calculated work of a razor blade or an x-acto knife here.It happened, just as described.

Human beings do stuff that doesn’t always make logical sense.

Crimes of opportunity, and such.

I believe that with the speed that mail is processed, that it is possible for a loose coin traveling at high velocity could punch a clean slit in an envelope. I posted the gif to demonstrate the speed that mail travels through a mail processing center.

Is it more feasible that 2 envelopes mailed from two different locations which pass through two different processing centers that encounter the same thief with their precision blade?

Well, I’m not omniscient, and you make a good point.

However, it sure looks to my admittedly untrained eye like it was neatly cut, rather than a ragged tear.

In one case, only part of the envelope’s side edge was slit. But in the other, the *entire* side edge was slit, top to bottom. I rather doubt that a rocketing coin would do that, so precisely and fully.

And the fact that it’s now happened twice in a row really does raise my suspicions that something untoward *may* be afoot.

A thin flat edge disc traveling at high speed could easily create a clean slit...

The risk/reward of the theft angle doesn't make much sense.

I have to agree with Karnak here. I understand not assuming Zebras, but there are hoofbeats here and you're asking if maybe it's some guy with coconuts.
Try it out. Take a couple of coins, put them in a flat envelope, grab it by the edge and swing it in a circle as fast/hard as you can. Tell me what kind of hole it makes. Because I can guarantee it won't be a thin clean cut along the whole edge of the envelope - or even half of it. It will be jagged and probably not much bigger than the coin. A coin with reeding is not going to produce a clean break.

I also agree with the sentiment that it's not clear who or why this happened. It could have been malice from any number of parties. It could also have been flagged as too thick and might damage the machines and so set aside for manual handling, at which point it's no longer just one envelope of thousands.
It could have been a manufacturing defect in the envelope, or even a sharp edge on one of the machines that affects letters, too.

As you say: There is absolutely zero evidence to speak without doubt as to how they got to be missing. They're all still possibilities.
Karnak made no accusation - just suggested that folks be careful in the packing and shipping of their coins, so that they're less obvious, and also less likely to break through any paper walls on their own.

I feel your pain. We have sent graduation money that has been removed along the way, so we never send ANY cash through the mail. The real puzzler was when we shipped Uncle Fred back home for burial and the casket arrived sealed, except for a slight slit in one side, but no Fred. Too bad we didn't insure him. He always said he wasn't going to his own funeral unless they carried him, and I guess he was right.

At this point, I’ll add a detail I’d completely forgotten about, regarding the first (back in April) of my two aforementioned losses: the two quarters inside that envelope had also been sealed within a plastic Ziploc sandwich bag. (The sender just reminded me of this fact.)

That plastic bag was still in the envelope, upon arrival. And empty of coins.

That money didn’t rocket or ricochet out through a still-sealed plastic baggie, I daresay.

Somebody had ample time (a few minutes, anyway) to monkey around with the post, regardless of how unlikely or unreasonable doing so might seem to rational minds in retrospect.

(Crooks aren’t always rational.)

So we can eliminate some possibilities. First, since the shipments came from different users in different areas, we can eliminate the possibility of seller scam. We can also eliminate the possibility of postal theft at the origin. Seems like we are down to either someone sorting the mail at your local post office of the mail carrier himself.

Did you report the incidents to the post office? It's hard to believe you are the only customer that is experiencing theft. My guess would be it's the postal carrier that's too blame. They are on their own all day and would have time and opportunity but of course they'd have to have some idea of what was in the package unless the envelope was thin enough to be able to feel the contents.

Very strange and probably no solution.

Yes, I have duly notified both my local post office, as well as the general (800 number) USPS postal inspector office. Full details provided.

That’s about all I can do, I reckon. Hopefully, it’ll be of some help (if not to me, then maybe for the next potential victim).

I was sent a "gold colored" magnetic ring in the mail. It was in a small envelope with no packing. It was stolen out of the envelope. The thief could feel the ring though the envelope. I bet they were excited when they saw a gold ring. HAHA They got a worthless magnetic ring. It was through ebay and I received a refund.