Rare coin collector left out of pocket by Halfcrown Street con-artist

Retired coin enthusiast Frank Dunne with two of his Kruggerrands

A pair of rare gold coins have been swiped from a Royal Mail postal depot by a tricky fraudster who has left a keen collector out-of-pocket.

The con-artist duped staff at the Halfcrown Street sorting office in Walton into handing over two South African coins intended for 71 year-old coin enthusiast Frank Dunne.

The thief allegedly signed a collection card with a "squiggle" and presented a fake ID to steal the Kruggerand coins worth #2,000 and leaving Mr Dunne furious at the blunder.

He said: "I kept getting fobbed off by Royal Mail saying there was no delivery expected for me.

"After several phone calls I found out a con-artist pretending to be me had taken them from under the noses of the staff."

Kruggerrand were first minted in 1967 to boost the South African economy during apartheid and were once illegal to exchange if imported outside its borders.

A Royal Mail inquiry found that a postman tried to deliver the coins to Mr Dunne's home but he did not answer and the coins were taken back to the depot.

The theft occurred between 12th and 14th January 2011 and Mr Dunne has been desperately trying to find who is responsible for his valuable package going missing.

Merseyside Police discovered the coins were taken using "fraud by mis-representation" but they have failed to come up with any suspects and ceased their inquiries.

"The police said nothing could be done because I reported it too late and there was no CCTV footage to catch the crook," said Mr Dunne, of Kensington in Liverpool.

"I'm consulting a solicitor now to see if anything to be done."

Royal Mail insist they are "satisfied" the correct procedure had been followed by their staff in north Liverpool.

In a letter to the out-of-pocket coin collector, a spokesperson said: "We are satisfied that our handling of your item was appropriate.

"The Delivery Office Manager has confirmed your item was collected with the relevant identification along with the notification card shown by the person who collected the item.

"Whilst I have great sympathy with the situation we are unable to take any further action in respect of this matter."

The former trade unionist said: "We live in uncertain times and I bought several Kruggerrands because of their worth in gold.

"Their value could double or even treble and It was my way of beating the recession and saving for the future."

Mr Dunne's Kruggerrands weigh one ounce and the coins he bought for £1,870 for the pair have already increased in value by £300.

The coins were sold to Mr Dunne by Malcolm Ellis Ltd in Surrey and they have been trading for 52 years.

Specialist Marcia Ellis works at her Surrey-based family business, who have been trading for 52 years, and has had several conversations with an "upset" Mr Dunne.

She said: "It's a great shame that these coins have gone missing. They were sent to ensure that any risk of getting lost in the post would be minimised as they are very expensive.

"I am very sorry for Mr Dunne but as far as I am aware it is a mystery as to what happened to them once they arrived in Liverpool."

Nick Martens of Royal Mail said: "We wouldn't comment on an individual customer other than to confirm we are still in contact with Mr Dunne and his claim remains under consideration."

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