Stolen record collection appeal in Hua Hin

Stolen record collection appeal after bedridden expat says 30-year archive taken from Hua Hin home

A bedridden Swiss expat in Hua Hin is appealing for help after his 30-year record collection was allegedly stolen from his home, with suspicion falling on a former carer supplied by a local nursing company.

Peter Kalt, who has lived in Thailand for 11 years, said the collection included about 1,000 vinyl records and 400 CDs, much of it built up during years spent working in Chicago and later in Switzerland.

He estimated the collection to be worth around 300,000 Swiss francs, or approximately 12.5 million baht, but said its sentimental value was just as important.

“Beside the money, it is also memories,” Peter told Hua Hin Today.

Peter is bedridden after complications from a medical condition left him unable to use his legs. He now requires regular care at home and said he normally has two nurses assisting him.

The theft is understood to have taken place on 2 May 2026 at the Hin Lek Fai home he shares with his wife, Brigit.

The theft was reported to police on 5 May, after Brigit realised the records were missing.

He said the records disappeared from a room in the house about three weeks ago. His wife discovered they were missing while cleaning.

The collection had been kept in nine boxes, but Peter said only the records and CDs were taken.

Rare records collected over 30 years

Peter said the collection was made up mainly of rock music from the 1960s to the 1980s, including LPs, singles and rare releases that are difficult or impossible to replace.

“Everything which was important or very rare examples which you cannot buy anymore,” he said. “So this hurts.”

He said some of the records included original cover designs that were later withdrawn or banned shortly after release.

“Certain items with specific cover pictures which were forbidden after two weeks from the governments. I had the original cover picture, things like that,” he said.

Peter said his interest in collecting grew while he was working in Chicago, where he had access to radio stations and record shops that exposed him to music he may not have found in Europe.

“You start with Rolling Stones, Beatles, the usual stuff, and you end up in really super bands,” he said.

One of his strongest memories is linked to Canadian rock musician Aldo Nova, whose music he discovered while in Chicago.

“When he played this guy, everybody came, ‘What is this? What is this?’” Peter said. “I was really lucky that I got the ticket in Chicago from Aldo Nova.”

Peter said the vinyl records were more valuable than the CDs, but both formed part of a personal archive built up over decades.

Former carer suspected

Peter said he believes the records were taken by a former carer who had been working at his home for about three or four months. He said she had been supplied by a small local nursing company and had since been dismissed.

Peter said the woman had previously asked him and his wife for money on several occasions. He also alleged that other items had gone missing from the home, including a gold ring, a bracelet and cash.

“She always needs money,” he said. “She was just taking chances.”

Peter said he does not believe the former carer would have wanted the records for herself, but may have acted on behalf of someone else who understood their value.

“In my view, a friend or a buyer, she was just acting as a broker,” he said. “Not as the person who finally owns this stuff.”

Peter said he did not discuss the value of the record collection with her, but she would have been able to see where it was kept.

He said the alleged theft appeared to have taken place while his wife was out of the house and he was unable to see what was happening from his bed.

“When my wife had a massage, I’m basically alone in the house,” he said. “I don’t see what happens.”

Peter said security camera footage from the front of the property showed plastic bags being placed on a motorbike.

“We have a camera in front of the entrance gate,” he said. “She hid these plastic bags on the motorbike. That we could see.”

Police report filed

Peter said police attended his home after the incident was reported and spent about an hour taking details.

He said officers told him and his wife that the person suspected of taking the records was known to them.

“I was really surprised when the police said, ‘Oh, we know her name,’” Peter said.

He said he had expected police to quickly visit the former carer’s home or take further action to locate the missing collection, but said he had not yet received a clear update.

“I would have expected that the first action of the police would be to go at home and then see, okay, what do you have?” he said. “But nothing happened. I don’t understand, where are all these records?”

Peter said he is now considering asking his lawyer to follow up with police.

“That’s exactly the reason why I want my lawyer,” he said.

Hua Hin Today has seen a copy of the official police report filed in connection with the alleged theft. The nursing company has not been accused of involvement.

Appeal for information

Peter said his main concern now is getting the collection back.

He said anyone who has recently seen a large number of vinyl records or CDs being offered for sale, particularly by someone who would not normally have access to such items, should contact police or Hua Hin Today.

“I want to say, have you seen a couple of new records, vinyl or CDs, in the past three weeks, which you know that this person cannot have?” Peter said. “If you have seen this, please inform me or inform the police.”

Peter said the records are not only valuable, but represent memories from different stages of his life.

The alleged theft comes at the end of what Peter described as a difficult few years. He said he hopes to return to Switzerland, where he believes he can receive treatment for his legs that is not currently available to him in Thailand.

“In the long term, I need to go back to Switzerland because of my legs,” he said. “In Switzerland they have much better machines to work on the legs.”

Anyone with information about Peter’s record collection can contact Hua Hin Today anonymously by emailing info@huahintoday.com