A MESSAGE FROM LELANDS' C.O.O.

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Posted By: Ron Rolleri

I was prompted to write this message after reading the recent string posted on this forum under the heading, “Anybody do well at the Lelands Auction?” While I had the pleasure of meeting many of you at the National this past July, I realize that most of you don’t know who I am. This is a good opportunity to change that. It also gives me a chance to address some of the comments recently posted on this site.

After practicing law on Wall Street for the past twelve years, I accepted Josh Evans’ and Mike Heffner’s offer to join Lelands as its Chief Operating Officer. While there were a number of things that attracted me to Lelands, one of the biggest factors was the desire of Josh and Mike to bring this company to the next level, and the realization on their part that they couldn’t do it alone. I could tell that these guys really wanted this company to be a cut above the rest. In the four months that I’ve been here, we’ve made some big changes, and more will be coming.

There are two issues I’d like to address, based on what I’ve read on this forum. First, there seems to be some confusion regarding Lelands’ monthly Sports Collectors’ Auction. This auction, which was formerly called the “Fredo” Auction, is an opportunity to pick up some great deals at terrific prices. Indeed, many of you have commented on how fantastic the prices are. The best way for you to see what I’m talking about is to check out our web site, www.lelands.com. There, you can see the lots that were available in past auctions, as well as prices realized.

The Sports’ Collectors Auction typically closes on the first Wednesday of every month, and opens two weeks prior to that date. It’s an internet-only auction, with photographs and descriptions of all lots on our web site. In addition, notwithstanding its name, the auction typically includes a number of great Americana items.

Up until now, we’ve primarily advertised the Sports Collectors’ Auction by e-mail. We typically send at least three e-mails to everyone on our mailing list during the course of each auction. Based on your feedback, we are now going to expand our advertising of this auction with, among other things, direct mail campaigns and ads in various trade magazines.

Apparently, some of you have not been receiving our e-mails. If you wish to be on our mailing list for future auctions, just e-mail your request to cherylgoldstein@lelands.com. Be sure to include your name, address, telephone number and e-mail address, and we will make sure you are included in all future mailings. Keep in mind that you must also register to bid in our auctions, if you have not already done so. You can register through our web site, www.lelands.com.

This leads me to the second issue – customer service. I was not happy to read several postings from people who claim to have received poor service from Lelands’ staff. Quite simply, poor service is something that our customers should never experience.

We’ve met with our customer service staff, and our employees know that we expect them to be the best in the business. Our customers expect and deserve it. To that end, I personally spend a great deal of time every day with our staff. I observe their interactions with customers, and I speak with them on individual situations. I believe that our staff is professional, courteous and helpful. However, what I believe does not matter. If your experience is different, I want to know.

There’s a lot going on here at Lelands, but I’ve taken up enough space on this forum for now. We are proud of this Company’s history and what it has accomplished over the past twenty years, but we want to be better. Feel free to contact me directly with any questions or concerns. I can be reached at (516) 409-9700, ext. 301, or ronrolleri@lelands.com.

Thank you for this opportunity to speak with you.

Ron Rolleri

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Posted By: Bryan Long

I think it is great for someone within auction houses to come forward to and explain how they work and what they plan to do to make things better. I honestly don't think I am registered with Lelands, but i will be now. My only question is when are you going to hire me to be your marketing director? I'm always looking for a new job, especially within the baseball card business. Being the Marketing Manager for a Hospital has started to become old anyway.

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Posted By: Daniel Bretta

It's not just your customer service staff that is rude. It's your owner.

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Posted By: Chad

Didn't mean to start so much controversy with that post--I just wanted to share my excitement about what I'd won and, judging by the prices on other items, I thought other people might be pretty psyched as well. I wish I'd had a few bucks to throw at T cards.

The last auction was my first at Leland's, but I've bought stuff from Jon Perry before on Ebay and he's been good to deal with. It seems to me that there's a lot of anger still about the Clemente-plane auction and you guys might want to address that. Anyway, good luck with your business and I can't wait to get my cards.

--Chad

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Posted By: leon

I think it's a good thing when a major auction house comes on the board to explain things. I also agree that there is some pent up anger over the way the Clemente plane parts auction was dealt with. As I said before I didn't think the plane parts were the issue I thought the way the family was "not" informed first was an issue. Just one persons opinion here.......and yes, the moderator can have an opinion...contrary to a principal's belief......

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Posted By: Daniel Bretta

It's not just the Clemente items, it's how Josh Evans has treated people not just on this board, but on the game used board also. I think they did the Clemente items to gain publicity, which they certainly got. He should have pulled them immediately after the Clemente family asked for them to be pulled, but instead they didn't pull them until a good amount of people had stated they would not participate in the auction, and they were starting to get very negative national press about the items. It was a third rate move from a third rate auction house. Until Evans apologizes to me for the email that he sent me I will continue to voice my displeasure over his business practices everytime the subject comes up.

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Posted By: Wesley

Not to belittle Dan's experiences with the Lelands, but I have had the exact opposite experiences. I am not a big purchaser or consignor at all, but the one time I asked Josh Evans for a favor, he went over and above what he had to do.

Lelands sold an original art piece five years ago. A few months ago, the daughter of the artist was interested in the piece and asked us to find the current owner. Only one week after I emailed Josh, the owner of the art piece gave me a call at my office. I was surprised that Josh would take the time from his busy schedule to help me out and am extremely grateful.

From the Lelands auctions, I have purchased three items in the past few years. At least one of the items was won for far less than my maximum bid (several bid increments and several thousand dollars less). In light of all the stories we hear about other auctionhouses pushing bids up to their maximums, I think it is great to see that Lelands does not do this. Hopefully, Lelands will be able to take care of the customer service issues with Dan, but for me, an honest auctionhouse is all I can ask for.

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Posted By: davidcycleback

I won a number of lots from Lelend's over the last few years and have never had a problem with the items or shipping.

All I have to say about the Clemente stuff is that after I saw the last MastroNet catalog and its Titanic and Lincoln assasination items, I watched to see if anyone would complain about those items and no one did (at least here).

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Posted By: leon

I don't think that the way the Clemente plane parts auction was handled, was the way I would have done it, but I also still bid in their last auction. Won a few nice cards too......I had a polite conversation with Josh at the last National and we agree on most things and agree to disagree on the rest....regards

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Posted By: joe maples

Hi, I've know Josh Evans for about 15 - 20 years. I knew him before he started his auction company. I have a bought and sold items to him personally. He is a little abrupt and moves quickly when buying an selling items. he is a good guy and knows his stuff. I am consigning some items for auction to Mastro Auctions, I've known Bill Mastro from shows when he set up with Nagy years ago. i have bought many items from him also. Evan's auction personnel called me about consigning items to their auction and they are very personal and 1st class. Bill mastro called me about 2 weeeks ago about an email I had sent to Mastro about consigning some items. Both companies are 1st class.

joe

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Posted By: warshawlaw

I consigned a piece for the December auction. Everything was handled politely, professionally and in a first-rate manner.

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Posted By: David Vargha

I've had nothing but pleasant experiences with Lelands and also with Jon Perry. Then again, I'm not one of those people who seems to be offended by just about everything either. I only wish that some of you people were more offended at all of the major auction houses so that I might actually win something once in awhile.

DavidVargha@hotmail.com

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Posted By: Scott Forrest

<<This leads me to the second issue – customer service. I was not happy to read several postings from people who claim to have received poor service from Lelands’ staff. Quite simply, poor service is something that our customers should never experience.>>

Agreed, Leland's customer service is superb. My first dealing with them was several years ago when I called in for specifics on an item. They had someone pull the item, called me back, and answered all questions.

My next three dealing were all with Josh, and they were also exemplary. To be completely honest, I am not pleased with the mistakes Leland's has made in their auction descriptions , but when pointed out, Josh rectified the issues immediately, and in all cases offered MORE to take care of the situation than I felt comfortable accepting.

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Posted By: Julie Vognar

...and that's MORE than I'm supposed to say!

Thanks, Josh....

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Posted By: Kevin Cummings

My one and only auction experience with Lelands ended poorly for two reasons. Back in December of 2001 I had won a Pop Lloyd card which was off-condition due to some serious staining, but the picture of Lloyd was fine. I won it for just a few hundred dollars and I was ecstatic. UPS proceeded to damage the package and lose the contents. I was devastated.

As it happened, there was another condition-challenged Pop Lloyd card in the same auction that, as far as I could tell, did not sell. I asked the Leland representative (Jim Callahan) if I could get that one for the same price. I never really got a satisfactory response and the best he claimed they could do was to sell me a Pop Lloyd card for a couple grand.

I would have patiently waited months if they had taken me up on my request to find me a replacement card in a similar condition at the same price, but nothing ever came of it. I figured with all their connections, they could more easily find a similar card than I could myself. Lelands wasn't at fault for my loss, but I never got the feeling that Jim Calahan was working on my behalf to try and help me out. I'm not even sure he took my request "upstairs," which I even offered to do myself if he was uncomfortable doing so.

No one from Lelands went the extra mile in my case and I think it's safe to say I will never again get the opportunity to get a Pop Lloyd card at such a reasonable price.

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Posted By: tobacco-r-us

davidcycleback:
[All I have to say about the Clemente stuff is that after I saw the last MastroNet catalog and its Titanic and Lincoln assasination items, I watched to see if anyone would complain about those items and no one did (at least here).]
*
*
Mr davidcycleback, did it ever occur to you that all the people around the Lincoln assassination era, are all presently long time gone, and unable to express their opinion?

As for the 1912 Titanic tragedy, (93 years ago) I think that it is safe to say that there aren't too many around to give an opinion.

However, when we think about the Roberto Clemente tragedy in 1972, we are talking about a period when some of you were around, and some of you may have been too young, or not born yet.

Mr davidcycleback, I don't know which category you belong in, but allow me to refresh your memory.

New Year's Eve, December 31, 2005 will mark the 33rd Anniversary of a tragic plane crash.
The plane was taking medical, food and clothing supplies to earthquake stricken Nicaragua.
Vera (his wife) and friends begged him not to take the trip (poor weather and an unstable cargo plane) but Roberto was determined.
He was infuriated that the previous supplies had not made it to the victims.
Roberto was going to personally see to it that the victims received the much needed supplies. Unfortunately, the plane went down off the coast of Puerto Rico.
Roberto's body was never found.
Just months after Roberto joined an elite group of players with 3,000 hits, he was gone.

Talk about taking immediate action during a disaster.
His action came from his heart, and didn't depend on a local, or federal order.
His sons were six, five and two, respectively, when their father met his untimely death.

I am totally still pissed off at Josh for his ingrained insensitivity.
I will not bid on anything of his, even if it's the last card I needed.

Joe Pelaez

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Posted By: davidcycleback

Joe,
I wasn't making a value judgment about disasters, I was merely pointing out that there isn't a consistancy to how collectors react to disasters. If you wish for my value judgment, Clemente's death was a bad thing, and so were the Titanic deaths. I don't personally see the difference between the great difference between the sale of material from one event versus the other.

I have not offered my opinion about whether any, none or all this type of material should be auctioned. I was merely commenting on hobby reaction.

A good number of intelligent and sincere people have strong opinions about the Clemente material, and I respect and take seriously their opinions on the matter.

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Posted By: Daniel Bretta

David, the problem is that the Clemente family asked for the items to be removed and they were not immediatley pulled. Leland's waited it out for all the publicity they could get, and judging from their last auction results maybe the old saying that any publicity is good publicity just isn't true. Obviously they're worried about the last auction results or you wouldn't have the COO of Leland's posting on this board promising to take care of the problems.