A story covered by the Charlotte Observer over the weekend absolutely broke my heart, according to the site, longtime WWE Referee Charles Robinson lost around $51,000 worth of horror movie memorabilia after it was stolen from his storage unit back in May. The unit contained two-thirds of his massive collection, which included an very valuable Jaws statue from Sideshow Collectibles, hundreds of action figures, busts and masks, and a complete Fangoria Magazine collection.
"I was really shocked when I opened the storage unit door and noticed that the place was a mess and stuff was missing," Robinson told The Charlotte Observer. "I seriously felt like it was a nightmare, and once I realized this was really happening, I felt sick to my stomach. Then I got angry once I didn’t get any assistance from the storage company."
Since the theft, Robinson has since been checking eBay for some of his more rare items and may have found a lead. Among his stolen items, Robinson spotted the Jaws statue being sold and offered the seller $1,000, while also mentioning he had one just like it that was stolen recently. Of course, the listing then mysteriously disappeared. Robinson has since reported it to local law enforcement and is waiting to hear back on what they've found.
As someone who collects horror memorabilia and has a substantial collection of physical media, I can only image the pain and annoyance Robinson must be going through with all of this. Thankfully, the horror community is full of amazing and supportive people like filmmakers Jen and Sylvia Soska, who have pitched in to help out. They’ve reached out to the horror community for help in replacing some of Robinson’s cherished items. Over on their Instagram, they’ve compiled a list of everything that was stolen.
The Soska's write, "I’m including a list of everything that was stolen in the hopes that we can pool together to see if we have any of these items that we can donate. Also, if you see anyone selling these items – please report back as they may be the thief. If you have any of these items or if you work in the business, maybe you have something cool to send him to rebuild his collection."
Items can be sent to Robinson at the following address:
Charles Robinson, 3251 Luke Crossing Dr, Charlotte NC 28226
You can check out a 2014 video documenting part of Robinson’s horror collection below.