the list (of criminals) is revealed

[Klrdds]

I have not read each and every post on this topic but I have read about 3/4 ths of them so forgive me if this topic has been addressed already.
A lot of us old time / veteran collectors have to wonder how long has the Mastro shill bidding been actually occurring ? Since only a few years of results are available one must ask how long did this go on ?
Does it go back to Mastro - Steinbach auctions ?
Does it go back to mergers with Oregon Trading , which later did business for a time as Mastro West, and with Ron Oser and their merger into a bigger Mastro Auction company ? No harm is meant to Ron Oser with this comment.
Does this prove an old adage of that " as long as there are auctions there will always be a phantom ( shill ) bidder " that I heard as a warning years ago when phone and fax bids were accepted as the auction business began in lieu of live auctions .

Also to digress was a greater scam attempted when Bill Mastro came out with an attempt to sell shares in his auction house to a select few collectors and bidders and customers . I was offered shares but turned them down as overvalued and a bad long term investment with little prospect of an adequate ROI. Does any one remember this ? Looking back now it seems like a Ponzi scheme was attempted .

[drcy]

No doubt lots can be shilled without consignors' knowledge. The auction houses get a percentage of the final bids and would like all boats to rise, and some outside collectors like their investments to maintain their market value. Some collectors are willing to buy cards just to 'protect' the market value of the copies they already own. Of course there's nothing errant with honestly (I said honestly, as opposed to a miscalculated shillingly) buying the cards, other than it may be seen as a dubious investment strategy.

[prestigecollectibles]

There were more than 80 lots consigned by Hal Lewis where Stephen Spector was listed as the shill bidder including the T-206 Wagner I won. It seems in many cases two people were working together. Does anyone know if these are real people or just made up names used by Mastro?

[drcy]

Hal used to be a regular board poster.

[ElCabron]

Originally Posted by prestigecollectibles

There were more than 80 lots consigned by Hal Lewis where Stephen Spector was listed as the shill bidder including the T-206 Wagner I won. It seems in many cases two people were working together. Does anyone know if these are real people or just made up names used by Mastro?

Hal is real. A real scumbag, that is. You might remember him from such hits as "Henry Reccius Honus Wagner." A quick search should tell you all you need to know about Hal. Hope you're reading this, Hal.

-Ryan

[bcornell]

Originally Posted by ElCabron

Hal is real. A real scumbag, that is. You might remember him from such hits as "Henry Reccius Honus Wagner." A quick search should tell you all you need to know about Hal. Hope you're reading this, Hal.

-Ryan

Hal Lewis and Stephen Spector are both attorneys in Tallahassee. I'm on the list of their shill bids, although I'm not a "victim".

I'll gladly second what Ryan said about Hal. He had no idea what he was collecting and no integrity. Good riddance.

[whiteymet]

I just started to take a look at the list and found two items that were curious.

The first is from Auction 41 April 07 Lot # 829 Consigned by Dan Knoll, Shilled by Dennis Beechy, won by DOUG ALLEN for $862 and the loss amount was $44! This is not like other lots where the shill won the lot, this appears that Doug wanted the lot. See:

http://legendaryauctions.com/_The_Ey...-LOT69974.aspx


The second item also from the April 07 Auction Lot #671 Consigned by Gilbert Proter, shilled by Andrew Filipowski, won by Tony Arnold for $60,717 the loss amount was $ 4,424,

However if one looks at the listing below it shows the lot did not sell. Wonder what happened?

http://legendaryauctions.com/LotDeta...entoryid=69816

[mickeymao34]

The statement that "just because they are consignors doesn't mean they are part of the scam" is true theoretically. But if it has a the one and the same shill bidder consistently throughout 30-40 consignments the pointing of finger seems justified. And WTF is Darryl??

[Joe_G.]

Reading this thread with interest. I feel for those who were taken advantage of.

Originally Posted by whiteymet

The second item also from the April 07 Auction Lot #671 Consigned by Gilbert Proter, shilled by Andrew Filipowski, won by Tony Arnold for $60,717 the loss amount was $ 4,424,

However if one looks at the listing below it shows the lot did not sell. Wonder what happened?

http://legendaryauctions.com/LotDeta...entoryid=69816

Those cabinets were auctioned individually and as a whole with the break-up total of $73,010 receiving a higher total than the whole. I remember watching that one with interest, some absolutely great NY cabinets within.