Coin shop heist nets estimated $750,000 worth of rare and common coins

AKRON - It seems like a plot out of a Hollywood movie: thieves break into a vacant storefront, carve their way through a wall and armed with a torch, get their hands on what is inside a loaded safe.

But Akron Police detectives believe that scenario is exactly what happened at Chet's Coin Shop sometime this past weekend.

The shop's owner, 73-year-old, Chester Endress lost some rare coins in the heist, including a 1795 half dime and a 1925 Buffalo nickel worth an estimated $50,000.

Endress has been collecting coins since he was a teen-ager.

Police believe the suspect or suspects broke into the vacant shop next door to the coin shop and tore through a wall which led to a closet inside the coin shop.

According to a police report, the suspect(s) then used a torch to get into a safe where Endress kept some of his coins.

No arrests have been made in connection with this case.