# VALLEJO BOTTLE SHOW THIEF IDENTIFIED



## BittersMax

A thief named Paul Wisnyi age 61 of St. Helena & San Francisco California has been identified as the person who recently victimized show vendors by stealing several valuable antique bottles off their tables at a Vallejo California bottle show. It is believed that Wisnyi is largely responsible for numerous thefts that have occurred at various Northern California antique & bottle shows in past years. Wisnyi moves his stolen merchandise on eBay under the name; "pdwisnyi" listed four inks and a rare flask two weeks after stealing them and then suddenly pulled the auctions when he realized he'd been caught. Wisnyi who is an obvious  kleptomaniac, is  ex Vice President of Macy's in San Francisco and also owns property in the Napa Valley wine country. He is currently on probation for strong armed robbery and  has a history of stealing from show vendors, apparently he never learned his lesson. He was caught arrested and prosecuted three years ago by the owner of the Alameda Antiques Street Fair for stealing from a vendor and served jail time. He opened a display case when the dealer had his back turned and took two antique cork screws. When confronted he bit the dealers hand in an attempt to escape. http://alamedasun.com/index.php?Itemid=29&id=47&option=com_content&task=view   
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 [/align]As collectors and concerned citizens we should not tolerate this kind of activity that has plagued Northern California bottle shows for years. Now that a thief has finally been caught we need to make an example out of this guy in order to show our community as a whole will not tolerate thief's at our shows. An investigation by the authorities is currently underway. Anyone with information in this case should contact Laurie Lee at the Vallejo Police Department: (707) 648-4516


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## Miles

Wow that's crazy! I was bidding on this guy's umbrella ink and it got pulled off e-bay inexplicibly, I was wondering but this explains it all!
 Good thing he's caught!


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## texasdigger

This is my biggest worry about setting up at shows.  It bothers me so badly that I do not get to look around as much as I would like because of it.  I keep an eye on my stuff, but it is tough to keep track of a couple hundred bottles when you have so many people coming and going.  I hope they tack this guy to the wall.  I am sure he had the money to pay for any of this stuff, but just decided to steal.  I would bet that this guy is the main reason you have had so many problems over there recently.  The old turd better be glad he did not do this to me, and get caught in the act.  I would pick a common bottle up off my table, and give it to him in the side of the head!  I will not even display my bottles in my windows for fear of someone breaking my window to get to them.  It is a sad sad world we live in today.....Stealing bottles! And I thought I had the bottle bug bad.  At least I pay for mine!

 Brad


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## ajohn

At the very last San Benardino Bottle and collectors club show a couple years back (or maybe three)I wanted to help(I was a new member),so they made me security.I Just walked around and talked with people.There was a couple of times that I'd get a vib off someone,and just keep an eye on them.If I saw them do the "look around routine" at more then one table,I'd walk up to them ,introduce myself ,ask them if they were having a good time,then offer myself if they needed help with anything.Both times the guys just sort of strolled out the door. 
  People that are doing something wrong will tend to look around alot.People who are not, usually stay focused on what they are doing.I know that their are exceptions to every rule,like guys that do the 360 degree thing every X-amount of minutes.But for the most part people tell on themselves,and we all need to be aware .I wonder how many people are saying"I knew there was something funny about that guy"? 
   Just a thought.We can all be security.


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## div2roty

I'm glad he was caught.  I usually try to talk my girlfriend into working shows with me ( i do bottle shows, comic book shows, indoor/outdoor antique shows and the occasional flea market) for this very reason.  

 As far as the shows providing security and it only costing around $500, our clubs show usually only has a profit of about $1,000, so that would be about half of the clubs profit.  So I don't think too many clubs are going to be eager to do that.  Some shows are having problems getting dealers as it is, so they probably do not want to raise dealer cost.  

 However, the idea of having members walk around should be doable.  Although our club has had problems getting enough people to man the door for selling tickets.


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## blobbottlebob

I'm glad they caught him! The guy was none too bright listing the bottles on ebay just a few weeks later. Smart sellers, though, to keep an eye out for the bottles and to do what it takes to catch the guy. Nice job people.


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## Just Dig it

That guy sounds like a piece of work..thats even lower then stealing from a mom and pop shop ...he went stragight for mom and pop


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## RICKJJ59W

This is what this guy is probably thinking while in jail.........[8D]


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## Miles

Lol!


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## ktbi

I had never really given it much thought until the Reno show last year.  A friend had a collection of books, a series with each book describing different Western Ghost Towns, and three of the rarer books were lifted. I have been, and I'm sure most of us have also been, victims of theft, and it's ugly. Glad they caught him...Ron


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## glass man

THIS IS WHY MY WIFE AND I TAKE TURNS STAYING AT THE TABLE. THE SMALL ITEMS WOULD BE EASY TO GRAB AND PUT INTO A POCKET. EXAMPLE,MY FRIEND HAD A STOPPER STOLEN FROM HIS AYERS HAIR VIGOR,WHILE NO BIG TICKET ITEM IT STILL DECREASED THE WORTH OF THE BOTTLE. LOT OF SMALL POISONS,PONTILED MEDS. ON AND ON. IT IS EASY TO GET DESTRACTED WHEN A OLD FRIEND COMES UP AND YOU GET TO TALKING.OTHER ITEMS ARE IN DANGER ALSO,MARBLES,TRADE CARDS ETC. KNOCK ON WOOD I HAVE NEVER HAD ANY THING TAKEN.  I HAVE OFTEN WONDERED IF A PERSON GRABBED A BOTTLE AND STARTED RUNING OUT WITH IT WHAT WOULD BE THE RECOURSE WITH NO SECURITY AROUND,"STOP THAT THIEF,MAY FALL ON DEAF EARS AS SOME WOULD NOT WANT TO GET INVOLVED OR REALIZE IN TIME WHAT IS GOING ON. OR IF A BOTTLE IS BROKEN CAN THE PERSON BE MADE TO PAY> WHAT IF THE PERSON JUST WALKED OUT REFUSING  TO DO ANYTHING? IS THERE A BROKE BOTTLE LAW? THERE ARE INSURANCE CO. THAT WILL COVER DEALERS.BUT DOES ANY ONE KNOW HOW GOOD THEY ARE? JAMIE


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## Oldtimer

Have pictures of the best ones displayed in place of the bottles, any one who needs to see one has it handed to them, and put back in the box behind the table if they do not buy. Only thing better would be locked display cases, and those are not very practical for larger set ups.


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## RedGinger

That's a great idea Oldtimer.


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## Miles

I dunno about that- the convience of ebay is that you can buy bottles without having to leave your home, although you go without seeing the bottle in person. And although it may reduce stealing, it would also reduce spending, and if someone is going out of their way to a bottle show, they have every right to look at these bottles in person without their experience ruined because of a few crooks.


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## capsoda

Kick his ass man. Then send him to jail.

 We had one too. He became so over confident that he tried to steal a house full of antiques. Someone reported him (every digger in town) and he went away for 5 years for fleecing the elderly, theft of property, fraud and a bunch of misdemeanors. He is out now and I heard that his voice is much higher than when he left on his little vacation. []


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## ajohn

Not only bottles! Red Wing pottery


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## div2roty

It seems possible to me that the Red Wing break in was by someone that was close to the people.  The burgler had probably been in the house, obviously they knew where the people lived, but its possible they knew the layout of the house, and knew that the people would be gone all day to that show.


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## glass man

I KNEW A PERSON THAT WAS VERY LIKABLE,BUT HEARD HE WOULD STEAL. WELL I GIVE ALL A CHANCE. WE MADE SOME PRETTY GOOD DEALS TOGETHER.[NOW I WONDER ABOUT THE PONTILED BOTTLE I GOT CHEAP] WELL ONE DAY HE CAME OVER AND SAW A CHEAP INK I HAD AND ASKED IF HE COULD TAKE IT AND PAY LATER. I THOUGHT EVEN IF HE NEVER PAIS I WOULD BE OUT $3 AND COULD ALSO FIND OUT IF INDEED HE WAS A THIEF. TIME WENT BY AND I CALLED HIM ABOUT THE INK JUST TO HEAR WHAT HE WOULD SAY. HE HELD THE PHONE AWAY FROM HIM ,BUT I COULD STILL HEAR HIM AS HE DESCRIBED THE INK TO HIS WIFE AND ASK DID SHE WANT TO KEEP IT. WELL HE GOT BACK ON THE PHONE AND SAID HE DID NOT KNOW WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT,HE NEVER GOT AN INK FROM ME! I TOLD HIM TO KEEP THE "NON EXISTING INK" BUT NEVER CALL ME AGAIN OR COME AROUND ME. IT TOOK SEVERAL PHONE CALLS FROM HIM TO GET IT ACROSS TO HIM I WAS SERIOUS. BLEW MY MIND SOMEBODY WOULD NOT SNEAK SOMETHING ,BUT TAKE IT OUT KNOWING WE BOTH KNEW ABOUT IT AND THEN INSULT MY LITTLE BRAIN SAYING HE NEVER HAD IT! GEEZ! JAMIE


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## BittersMax

It should also be noted to give all criminals equal time here that known bottle thief  Mark Espinoza showed up on Saturday with his son. Like father like son his dad taught him to follow in his foot steps of criminal activity. His son was caught by a dealer stealing a bottle off his table. The dealer being fairly new to shows didn't  know what to do so the incident went un-reported. Both Wisnyi & Espinoza 
are damn lucky it wasn't myself whom they stole from.


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## BittersMax

[align=center]THIEF IS BROUGHT TO JUSTICE.[/align] 
 [/align]Some eight months later after Paul Wisnyi of San Francisco & the Napa Valley robbed numerous vendors at the Vallejo bottle show justice is finally being served to at least one of his victims. The thief eluded authorities after an arrest warrant was served and then racked up a contempt of court charge for him self in addition. The one victim who filed charges was able to get his $2000 bottle returned to him which was found in Wisnyi's possession. Of course like any seasoned slim-ball thief, Wisnyi denies any wrong doing and not even being at the show but several dealers remember seeing him there with his large shopping bag after viewing his mug shot. What's really unfortunate here is that since only one victim came forward only his item was returned and Wisnyi was able to retain all the other stolen merchandise he robbed vendors of. 
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The following article recently appeared on a well known internet site:
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*Bottle Thief Charged*
*Gigs up for theft of rare western flask*[align=center] [/align][align=center]











 Mr. Paul Wisnyi

 [align=center]When a rare Ferguson Whiskey flask was stolen last April at the Golden Gate Historical Bottle Society show at the Solano County Fairgrounds in Vallejo, collectors were left frustrated and dismayed. American Bottle Auctions had brought many of their rarest and most desirable bottles coming up for their spring auction for public display and soon after set-up, a rare coffin flask was missing. Collectors and dealers alike were left feeling that even a bottle show was now unsafe to present items for sale and for auction. That a person could just walk into a bottle show and steal something right off the table of unsuspecting victims left both the organizers of the show and participants with a feeling of dread. 
 Soon after the show, the same bottle (valued between $1,500-$2,000), right down to three very distinctive bubbles appeared on Ebay, a well-known international auction site. It wasnâ€™t long before various people began calling American Bottle Auctions informing them of a very similar bottle to the one stolen in Santa Rosa being sold on Ebay. After contacting authorities in the Vallejo police department, the seller of the flask was contacted and within months police had a suspect. His picture was available online and soon his address and a profile of this would be thief became readily available and the Vallejo District Attorneyâ€™s office had a case. 

 After being interviewed and denying heâ€™d taken anything, a Mr. Paul Wisnyi was under investigation and before police could make an arrest, Mr. Wisnyi disappeared. Not long after, police issued an arrest warrant and Wisnyi was captured, now awaiting an appearance before the Vallejo County judges.[/align][align=center]The theft at bottle shows is not a new thing; bottles have been missing from shows for years. A couple years ago at a show in Lodi, American Bottle Auctions lost a rare M.R. Sacramento soda bottle, which was never recovered. This time was different as a number of individuals came forward and helped the police in uncovering evidence that helped them find the right person. According to the Vallejo police, they are not sure what consequences will occur regarding the thief but at least heâ€™s been given a stern warning and hopefully this arrest will make other thieves think twice before taking other peopleâ€™s property. [/align][align=center]This last weekend at the Auburn Bottle Show, a number of bottles were missing from tables so its apparent Wisnyi has company. When presenting bottles at a show, make sure you keep an eye on your bottles at all times. We even set up a camera connected to a computer that records any movement at our table. This was most likely enough to fend off any would be thieves and it might be something to think about. Needless to say, we didnâ€™t lose a thing at Auburn. Cameras are available at any Radio Shack and for $30 you can plant it on your table with a sign that reads, â€œYou are on camera.â€ We can all get rid of this distracting and selfish behavior by simply paying more attention to our tables and looking out for our neighborâ€™s table. All it takes is a little extra precaution. 
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## suzanne

I am going to find out if confession is good for the soul.  My crime haunts me to this day.  One Saturday I went to the 
 Goodwill Store to buy a wallet.  I picked out a red one, kind of frayed around the edges, but it would do.  Then I headed to the front of the store to pay and saw that the checkout line stretched to the back of the store.  I thought of all the things I had to get done that day.  I took a quick look about, popped it in my coat pocket, and beat a swift retreat out the door.  I felt a moment of guilt as I drove off  but rationalized it away by telling myself that they didn't pay for it either.

 But Karma got me in the end.  

 One of my kids gangsta freinds shoplifted her a new hoodie at the mall.   I saw it on the table in all it's 50.00 glory, tags still on it.  Dana told me what happened.  I resacked it and took it to the mall to return to it's rightful owner.  Unbeknownst to me it still had security devices on it.  I decided to cut through Younker's to get to Zoomie's.  Their security alarm went off as soon as I passed through their door.  I stood there in confusion holding the sack. A store
 clerk glanced at me suspiciously but then went back to her work.  I guess they get a lot of false alarms.  Quickly I crossed the store and headed out the front entrance  into the mall theme park and the alarm went off again!  Heart pounding, I bolted for Zoomie's.  I glanced behind me to see if anyone was in pursuit, imagining that angry hoardes were after me.  It seemed to me that everyone I passed was looking at me hatefully.  I rushed into Zoomie's where their alarm failed to go off.  I stood in the long line and began to calm down.  I reasoned that there was no point in me spending my life in a line of overindulged teenagers so I took it over to the hoodie section, found a hanger, hung it up, and left.  I was never so happy to leave the mall.


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## T D

> Mr. Paul Wisnyi


 


 Drop the MR...A Hole


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## dcoffin5

Suzanne - 10 Hail Mary's.  and take a big bag of clothing to Goodwill - make sure to add a purse/pocketbook/something other than clothes.  

 I won't even tell you some of the stuff i did in my wasted youth.  Suffice it to say that to balance things out, I'll be doing good deeds daily till the day I die...


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## suzanne

I would love to hear about your wasted youth.  I mean your pranks.  You could just  tell me one.


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## Lordbud

You know I don't want to name any names but I saw a $1000+ potlid just sitting on what'shisname's table at the Auburn show. God it was beautiful, I'd only ever seen pictures of one before and picked it up, looked it over, checked the asking price-tag and put it back down oh-so-carefully in its spot amongst the far less desirable bottles. To me that is the type of piece that should be in a locked case behind glass.[:-]


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## ajohn

> ORIGINAL:  dcoffin5
> 
> 
> 
> I won't even tell you some of the stuff i did in my wasted youth.  Suffice it to say that to balance things out, I'll be doing good deeds daily till the day I die...


   You 'N me both[&o]


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## wedigforyou

*Bottle thieves --grrrr.*

I'm glad this guy was caught. I hate to hear about theft as I think most people that enjoy this pasttime are good folks.  There is another famed bottle show and auction house thief now visiting this site.  He's trying to buddy up an impress us with his "knowledge" of antique bottles.  BEWARE do not fall for this guy's tactics.  He's been caught at the Tylersport, PA show year's back with the bottle in his jacket pocket and he's gotten arrested from an auction house for theft of a bottle.


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## Plumbata

*RE: Bottle thieves --grrrr.*

Who is this collector of ill-repute?


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## cyberdigger

*RE: Bottle thieves --grrrr.*

He's been crashing at my place lately, and teaching me his tricks.. can't wait to hit the shows!! Bruuuhaaahaaaa!!![]


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## bottlechaser62

*RE: Bottle thieves --grrrr.*

Hi wedigforyou,
 I dont know any of these folks personally like alot of you know each other........... and I would like to know if who I am talking to is some type of thief or thug. I would certainly appreciate you letting me know of any dishonest collector.


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## wedigforyou

*Bottle thief*

I inboxed or PM'd those that wanted to know the forum ID of the know bottle thief. He is on ebay with the same ID Ann


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## NorCalBottleHunter

*RE: Bottle thief*

PM me also, if you would please


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## TROG

*RE: Bottle thief*

Hello Ann,

 Could you also PM me with the I D .

 Thankyou David


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## coreya

*RE: Bottle thief*

Ann, please pm me as well. Thanks


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## Indianabottledigger

*RE: Bottle thief*

I would also like to know. Thanks


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## wedigforyou

*RE: Bottle thief*

So glad to see such interest by our forum regulars -  this bond is showing this guy that his cover is blown and he should spend his time elsewhere. He may change his user ID in order to stay on this forum.


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## epackage

*RE: Bottle thief*

I would also like to know, I give away alot stuff here for free to those who need things and who have little in these tight economic times, and I don't want to give away stuff to a crook....Jim


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## maxbitters

*RE: Bottle thief*

I'm working on a story for my website about stolen bottles. Would someone please e-mail me at lou@oldwestbottles.com with any factual info or name of the known person or persons on this site or anywhere else that have been up to no good. Exposeing these people is key if we want to curtail this kind of activity. 
www.oldwestbottles.com


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