A security guard at the convention center found the piece:
It turns out that after a complete sweep of the building by the security personnel, no sign of it. BUT! Upon inpsection of a "hidden" air shaft located not far from the conference center where the comic art panel took place, a security officer found the piece stuffed inside.We are assuming the thief realized he could not walk out of the show with this large piece under his arm, since it would require a fairly good sized portfolio to put it in, so he/she stashed it in the air shaft to come back later today and pick it up.
Wahoo! Bill was devastated by the loss, so I'm so glad the piece was recovered. What amazes me is how the art collectors came together and started to pool together reward money for its return. I won't tell you how high the reward had gotten before the piece was found, but I was pretty impressed by the generosity of the folks on the list. Now if we could just recover Linsner's artwork, too.
Update: Here's the word from Bill himself...
I arrived at the Con early and immediately made contact with the private security firm hired to police the event. One of the security supervisors, Jeff Bastasini, instructed his staff at my request to search all the conference rooms and storage areas in the vacinity of the theft. I just had a feeling that the crook might have had second thoughts and dumped the art somewhere, rather than risk being caught making his getaway.On the first go around they came up empty, but on a hunch Jeff checked a couple of possible hiding places down the hall from the panel room. Sure enough, he found the art leaning against a wall in what he termed an "air shaft", but upon closer inspection was really a storage area beyond the folding walls these convention centers use. We surmised that the thief planned to come back today with a portfolio case and take the art with him. Stupidly, all he did was give me time to report the theft and peruse the premises. You can bet that Jeff will receive a nice little cash award for his smarts.
No damage to the piece at all. It is as it was in almost perfect condition. Thank goodness I had it in a mylar which was enclosed in a hard plastic case. The one smart thing I did in the last two days...
It's been one really long day. I experienced the complete gamut of emotions from complete dispair upon learning the art was gone to absolute joy upon its recovery. In the process I learned there are some mighty fine people on this list who are willing to give of themselves to help a fellow collector in need. As I said before, I am completely humbled by your generosity and concern, and have been overwhelmed with emails and phone calls offering to help. It was really gratifying to see the community rally round one of their own. I can only hope I'll be able to return the favor someday. To each and every one of you, thank you, thank you, thank you. I am in your debt.
And I'd like to just add that I was personally stunned by the generous offers to help with reward money, and delighted that the thief won't be getting any of that money. My faith in fandom is stronger than ever.
