Ted Capell never got the service he wanted. What he got instead, was robbed.  

That’s his version, anyway.  

The Homestead resident said he called a national company to install a new service at his Homestead home. When the five technicians left, three rare U.S. bills left with them. Not normal bills, but $1,000 bills that his mother collected in the 1950s, he claims. 

“That was my inheritance,” he said. “I had them in my office waiting for the right time to get them regraded … which would make it more marketable.” 

He estimated the rare bills’ worth at about $3,500 apiece.  

“So, pretty close to over $10,000,” he estimated. 

“These are the only people that had access to the room,” Capell said. “They sent out five different people at five different times, and it was gone after they left.” 

The incident happened in March or April of last year, and Capell says the loss has never been addressed. After trying, and failing, to get the company to help, he turned his efforts to social media. 

Capell posts photos of the missing bills with their unique serial numbers about once a week, hoping that someone will do the right thing and return them. If not, he has enlisted his family to keep an eye on the online markets.  

“I’ve notified my grandchildren and they’re real computer savvy,” he said. “They’ve been checking eBay pretty regularly to see if they’re being listed on there.” 

“Whoever’s got it’s probably got it stuffed in a drawer somewhere. They’re going to hang onto it until I die,” he said. “Then they’re going to try to sell it.” 

Because no formal charges have been filed against the company or service technicians, InMaricopa isn’t naming the business Capell is accusing of stealing the money.  

“They could not have cared less,” he said when he contacted their headquarters. 

He said the Maricopa Police Department echoed what an attorney told him: Without any direct evidence, it’s going to be hard to prove the culprit. The theft is easy to deny. His homeowner’s insurance wasn’t any help, either. They offered just $300 for the collector’s currency, a tenth of even the bills’ face value, to say nothing of the resale value. 

If Capell could speak to the thief, he would give a simple message: “If they would return it, all would be forgiven. I would not pursue it any further.” 

He’s offering $1,000 for the bills’ safe return. 

Until then, Cappel is left watching the bill market, waiting to pounce on anyone trying to collect $10,000 in extremely hard-to-fence paper.