WASHINGTON - A D.C. antiques collector who has been featured on national television is outraged after someone stole a collection of silver from his home.

The silver was allegedly taken from a home near the intersection of 9th and Westminster Streets Northwest.

To the uneducated eye it may just appear to be silver, but it is so much more and it's now in the hands of thieves. "Each and every one of these pieces was selected. I took a great deal of time searching them out," said Reid Dunavant, an antiques collector.

Dunavant spent the past 30 years amassing a one-of-a-kind collection of sterling silver flatware, representing artifacts of American history between 1860 and 1910. An example is a set of tongs made for only a brief time during that era.

"This is the only example of that particular piece in that pattern I have ever seen," he said.

A silver chest which contained more than 250 pieces, many of which can't be replaced, is now empty after his home on Westminster Street in Northwest was burglarized sometime Thursday or Friday.

The thieves broke in through an upstairs window and stole televisions, computers, and jewelry. They then cleaned out the wooden chest. Dunavant says doesn't want those responsible to go to jail. Instead, he wants them to call him.

"I really just want the things back," he said.

Dunavant is taking matters into own hands. He blanketed the neighborhood with flyers and sent out countless e-mails trying to get word to whoever broke into his home and stole the flatware that he's willing to pay -- literally.

He says he'll fork out $20,000 to get the entire collection back -- no questions asked. "This is a very special collection that if someone tries to sell this they're going to get caught," he said.

Anyone with information about the stolen collection can contact Dunavant by phone at 202-342-0138 or 646-765-6714. He can also be reached by e-mail at warnerreid@yahoo.com.

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