By Laura Bergan, vice president of sales and marketingof American Collectors Insurance

If you believe Hollywood's depiction of a typical heist, you'dthink that only cars and cash are the targets for thieves lookingto strike it rich. Not so. The files of the Federal Bureau ofInvestigation are filled with cases of stolen art collections,militaria, and even moon rocks.

In March 2012, the FBI filed charges against a Manhattan manwhom allegedly conspired and stole historical documents fromseveral museums in Pennsylvania, New York and Connecticut and thensold the documents for profit. He's not the only thief at work,either. According to the FBI, burglary is a huge problem that costvictims an estimated $4.6 billion in lost property in 2010.

A good portion of that was in stolen collectibles. Of allburglaries recorded, nearly 74 percent were burglaries ofresidential properties. Top targets for burglars entering a homeinclude: electronics, jewelry, art, antiques, collectibles, andrare items.

It's an insurance agent's job to help clients protect what theycollect. Typical homeowners' coverage may fall short to protect thevalued collections of personal lines customers: At time of claim,sublimits for collections may restrict coverage well below thevalue of a collection. A homeowners' policy likely does not coverrisks such as accidental breakage, flood and earthquake. Here is alook at 10 of the more sought-after collectibles and a peek at therisks they present.

Antiques

Antiques collections are the most-targeted item for thievesbecause they're hard to trace and easy to resell. And thieves go togreat lengths. Just ask a Norwell, Mass. couple whose antique weathervane valued at more than $10,000was stolen from on top of their home, leaving a cheap tin replicain its place.

Baseball, Football and Sports Cards

Baseball and football card collections are similarly targeted.Only very rare cards collected by active collectors (those whoattend shows or are communicating regularly with other cardcollectors) would be difficult to unload without attractingattention.

Coin Collections

As one of the most sought-after items for thieves, coincollections are easy to steal and seemingly easy to dispose of.Even so, some thieves have no idea how valuable some of the coinscan be. A collector in Oregon was reunited with most of his coincollection after thieves deposited them in a supermarket coincounting machine. They got $450. The collection was worth severalthousand dollars.

An upward trend in gold and silver prices is boosting the appealof stealing coin collections. Thieves likely followed a coin dealer throughthree states in 2009, breaking into his minivan to steal more than2,000 vintage coins and banknotes (including a 1921 Saint-Gaudens$20 gold piece, worth $160,000) while he ate in a restaurant. Hisloss was uninsured.

Crystal & Glass

Depression glass, crystal goblets, even stained glass items aretargets for thieves. One of the more notorious thefts of crystalinvolved the crystal ball, now housed in Philadelphia's PennMuseum, which is rumored to have been lifted from Empress Cixi ofthe Qing dynasty (1835-1908).

Die-Cast Models

Model cars are a big collector market, and thieves aren'tsparing the Hot Wheels. Considering that a model of Boba Fett'sstarship Slave I from Star Wars sold on eBay for an impressive $779US dollars, it's an attraction for thieves, petty or otherwise.

Dolls, Stuffed Animals and Doll Houses

Keep your Barbies under close surveillance: These dolls aresought-after targets for burglars. One collection of 25 dollsvalued at $2,000 was stolen in Virginia last year. That estimatepales in comparison to one collector's Barbie stash – 5,000 total –that was valued at $1 million at the time it was stolen in 1992.Though uninsured, the collection was recovered later that sameyear.

Entertainment, Media, Movie and RecordCollections

Who knew that poster of Flubber would be so valuable? When aCalifornia man pleaded not guilty in March 2012 to stealing movieposters and reselling them, the victim (CBS) valued the posters at$450,000.

Figurines

Your aunt's figurines aren't just pretty – they're valuable. ASt. Louis woman was sentenced to 12 months in jail for stealingSteuben Crystal glass figurines at more than$15,000 from a local residence.

Guns and Fishing Gear

Thieves target guns. In one case, a firearms dealer returninghome after a gun show had more than $200,000 in guns stolen fromhis truck as he sat inside a restaurant.

Military Gear and Historic Collections

Any item of historic significance can be stolen. Take the caseof the Civil War flag from the Indiana War Memorial Museum that wasswiped in 1997. It took 10 years, but the flag was finally returnedwhen an antiquities dealer spotted the flag while visiting abusiness liquidation sale and notified the FBI. The flag, valued at$50,000, is now back with the museum.

There are collectors and valuable collections on every Americanstreet, which means hidden business opportunities for insuranceproducers. The collectibles market is a potential channel of newbusiness.