COIN & PAPER MONEY DEALER MURDERED IN MALAYSIA

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We often feel that the worst that can happen to a coin dealer or collector is to be robbed, but that is definitely NOT the case. A well-known coin and paper money dealer in Penang, Malaysia, was killed in his shop in April of this year, apparently because he refused to issue a refund to an irate customer who felt he had been overcharged:

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THE MALAYSIA STAR (NORTH) -- Wednesday May 31, 2006
"Man Could Have Strangled Dealer"
PENANG: The stamp and coin dealer found dead in his shop last month was believed to have been killed by an angry customer who wanted him to take back the coins he had sold him. George Town OCPD Asst Comm Hamzah Md Jamil said Leong Chin Meng could have been strangled by the man when he turned down his request. In the incident on April 24, 2006, Leong, 48, was found dead with his right side of his skull fractured in his shop at Jalan Mesjid Kapitan Keling. ACP Hamzah said it was not a case of robbery as earlier thought as nothing was reported stolen from the premises by the deceased’s sister. The suspect was apparently not happy about his purchase as he had felt that the coins were overpriced. He tried to return the items but Leong apparently would not take it back. ACP Hamzah said the suspect was arrested when he was stopped for driving a stolen car in Burmah Road on Monday.
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I have visited this coin store numerous times over the last 30 years, my first visit being in 1973. In fact, I wrote a detailed article about this coin store and about numismatics in Penang in a 1984 issue of Canadian Coin News (Vol. 21, No. 21). I have attached below an image from my 1984 article showing, from left to right, the store owner at the time (Mr. Leong Hit Chang who died 10 or more years ago), myself, and the store owner's son (Mr. Leong Chin Meng). It was Mr. Leong Chin Meng who was murdered in the same store in April 2006.

I got to know both Leong Snr. and Leong Jnr. very well over the years and I have many good memories of my dealings with them. My upcoming visit to Penang later this year is not going to be the same. However, the murdered coin dealer does have a surviving sister and perhaps she will continue to operate the business...

Needless to say, there is certainly a moral to this very depressing story that all dealers, sellers, and collectors should bear in mind ...

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Rachelsprivates' comments are profound and important. It is indeed true that dealers often receive a bad "rap" but collectors would be totally lost without them! As noted by rachelsprivates, dealers (and particularly dealers who operate retail stores) play the critically important role of bringing to the market fresh material from the general public --- material that has often never seen the light of day before. By way of example, three previously-unknown Canadian Bank of Commerce notes with YUKON (2) and DAWSON (1) overprints surfaced in the Ottawa area several months ago and were offered to several local retail store dealers. One of these notes was subsequently purchased (and quickly sold out of province) by a local retail store dealer while the other two are believed to remain in the hands of the original private owner at this time.

I think there may be alot of us who simply do not know how to express in words how significant this is and/or how we feel about it in regards to losing "family" (in some for of the word). Obviously we (I would hope most) are shocked and saddened by it.   Peace for his family I hope will come.