VANCOUVER -- Mounties in B.C.'s Southern Interior are hoping to reunite a coin collector with nearly two dozen vintage coins police suspect were stolen.
The coins were seized during a traffic stop in Tappen, B.C. in February, but police have been unable to find their rightful owner, according to a news release from the B.C. RCMP's Southeast District.
A photo of the coins provided by the RCMP shows each one individually packaged and labelled with the year it was minted and sometimes other details.
Anyone who believes they are the rightful owner of the coins should contact Cpl. Jean-Rene Michaud, the lead investigator on the case, at 250-828-3111, police said.
Proof of ownership will be required, police added.
The traffic stop that led to the seizure happened on Feb. 9, when officers spotted a black Pontiac G5 on Highway 1. The licence plates attached to the vehicle had been reported stolen to the Vernon/North Okanagan RCMP detachment, police said.
Behind the wheel was a 39-year-old woman whose driver's licence had been suspended, according to police. She and a 48-year-old male passenger, both from Enderby, B.C., were taken into custody.
When police searched the vehicle, they found additional stolen licence plates, as well as a stolen identification card and birth certificate, stolen cheques, drug paraphernalia and a small amount of suspected methamphetamine, police said. They also found the coin collection.
The driver is now facing "a number of potential charges" and is scheduled to appear in court, according to the RCMP release. The passenger was released without being charged.
