Midwest Rare Coins & Collectibles

09/08/2026

Boulder Police warn about $700,000 gold bar scam, search for suspect. Learn more: https://numismaticcrimes.org/boulder-police-warn-about-700000-gold-bar-scam-search-for-suspect/

09/04/2026

Stop in and check out Mid-Missouri’s best Coin Shop! Lower level Parkade Plaza, Columbia,MO. Tuesday- Friday 9am-4:30. 573-442-7417

08/13/2026

06/10/2026

LOCKED, COCKED, READY TO ROCK at the Tulsa Coin Show!

05/08/2026

If you have elderly loved ones - please share this with them!

Three people accused of involvement in a conspiracy that stole $8 million from elderly victims have been federally charged in St. Louis and arrested.

03/14/2026

Next Weekend at the Lake!

03/13/2026

This is Tommy Thompson, a treasure hunter who, back in 1988, found the legendary 'Ship of Gold'—a vessel that sank in 1857 with what's now estimated to be HALF A BILLION DOLLARS in gold.
But after he found it, his investors sued him for a bigger piece of the pie. So he allegedly hid the gold and went on the run for two years. When the feds finally caught him, a judge ordered him to reveal the location of the treasure. Tommy refused.
So they threw him in prison for contempt of court, thinking a little hard time would make him talk. He just got released after ELEVEN YEARS. And he still hasn't told them where the gold is.

Here’s the timeline:

1988 – Thompson led the expedition that discovered the SS Central America, a shipwreck from 1857 known as the “Ship of Gold.”

2012 – A court ordered him to appear and explain where recovered gold coins were located after lawsuits from investors.

2013–2014 – Thompson went on the run instead of appearing in court.

January 2015 – U.S. Marshals arrested him at a Florida hotel with his girlfriend.

2015 – A federal judge held him in civil contempt of court for refusing to reveal the location of about 500 missing gold coins from the wreck.

2015–2026 – He remained in jail for over 11 years because he kept refusing to tell the court where the gold was.

March 2026 – He was finally released from prison.