Reward offered for return of stolen collectibles in Boyertown
Items were taken March 16 from Zimmers Pets
A Colebrookdale Township man is offering a reward for the return of stolen collectibles.
Kevin Zimmers, 59, owner of Zimmers Pets in Boyertown says he will pay $10,000 for the return of three items taken March 16 from a storage area at the shop, 49-51 E.
Philadelphia Ave.
Zimmers stores and displays vintage collectibles in rooms he refers to as a private museum.
Sgt. Matthew Ellis of the Eastern Berks Regional Police Department confirmed the break-in. Ellis said the investigation is ongoing and was unable to disclose any further information.
Zimmers said a passerby called police after witnessing someone using a rock to smash a window and gain entry.
Police alerted Zimmers of the break-in about 3 a.m., he said.
Zimmers identified the missing items after coming into the store later that day to clean up.
“They stole the three most valuable things I had,” he said.
The items taken were a 1961 Fantastic Four #1 Marvel comic book, an 1860 Abraham Lincoln and Hannibal Hamlin presidential campaign banner, and President Woodrow Wilson and Edith Bolling Galt’s 1915 marriage certificate, he said.
Zimmers and his collection were featured on a 2012 episode of the History Channel reality series “American Pickers” with Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz.
Since that time, he said, people started dropping by the pet shop and asking to view the museum rooms.
No admission is charged to see the private collection, he said.
“It is my man cave,” he said, describing the rooms as “50 pounds of collectibles stuffed into a 10-pound bag.”
Zimmers said he has no photographs of the missing items and they were not insured.