Coins, cards and comics are small, valuable and easy to carry, which makes collectors a target. You don't need to be fearful. You just need a few quiet habits.

PCGS puts it simply: "The fewer people who know that you collect coins, the safer your coins are" (PCGS).

At home and in the mail

Consider a P.O. box for collecting deliveries and hobby magazines. Both PCGS and NGC columnist Jeff Garrett suggest it; as Garrett put it, "No need for the pizza delivery guy to know you have rare coins" (PCGS; NGC).
Keep the word "coins" off labels and return addresses (PCGS). Choice ships in plain packaging for the same reason.
Be careful who's in the room when packages are opened or the safe is open.

Online

Don't post your address, your town, or where you keep things. That includes photos that show your house, your safe or your street.
Think before you post a big haul. Share the coin, not the context.
Our community rules ask the same: showcases Coming soon show your handle only, never your location or storage.

At coin shows

Take your badge off before you leave the show (PCGS).
The parking lot is one of the riskiest places. US Coin Shows calls it "one of the highest-risk areas," and suggests checking for GPS trackers, locking purchases in the trunk, and using the show's security room (US Coin Shows).
Watch for being followed. CoinWeek reported on a case where a dealer found "a sharp object… under one of his tires" after an Atlanta show, and the man who had watched him load his car later "walked up the driveway in an attempt to locate the dealer's vehicle" (CoinWeek).

If something does go missing

Good records help. Canadian conservation guidance notes that "a detailed description… including up-to-date photographs (obverse and reverse), will help the police recover them or the owner file an insurance claim" (CCI).

Try it in your portal

Your storage location and purchase details are private, owner-only fields. They never appear in showcases, community stats or anything public.

Talk to your own insurance agent

Ask how theft away from home (shows, travel, your car) is handled under your policy. See our 10 questions to ask your agent.

Educational only. This is not insurance, tax, legal or investment advice, and it isn't a substitute for advice from law enforcement or a security professional.