Archie Snively wanted to rid himself of some hockey memorabilia – he just thought he’d get a fair price for it.
Instead, the Norfolk County resident found himself losing his collection to a pair of thieves.
Snively tells CTV News he had planned to sell a collection of 500 Wayne Gretzky hockey cards, some of which dated back to the Brantford native’s childhood.
He advertised his intention at a store in Simcoe, and left his address on a piece of paper there.
Before long, he got a call from somebody saying they were interested in the cards.
A meeting was set up, and two people ended up at Snively’s home in Wilsonville, north of Waterford.
Snively says he was given reason to go to his basement. When he got back upstairs, he says, only one man remained.
“I heard the garage door open, so somebody walked out the garage door to the parking lot,” he said.
The second man, Snively says, then quickly left without buying anything.
It wasn’t until both were gone that Snively realized his Gretzky binder had disappeared.
“These guys ripped me off,” he said.
“I don’t care if I have to go to the RCMP – I want these guys caught, and I’ll put out a $500 reward to get my cards back.”
Police, too, want to see Snively reunited with his collection, which has an estimated value of $200,000.
“If anyone happens to know somebody that’s come into contact with a large collection of Wayne Gretzky cards, or is attempting to sell them off individually, we’re asking them to give the OPP a call,” Const. Ed Sanchuk told CTV News.
Snively says the men who were in his house are both six feet tall and around 40 years old.
One had greying hair and both wore earrings, he said.
