some more red meat for all the N54 moralists

[judsonhamlin]

And if I learn who B is, he'll lose my business as well

[rhettyeakley]

I am not aware of the players in this scenario BUT as one half of a well known set of brothers (along with Rhys) on this forum/hobby I just don’t want anyone to think we are “A,” or even “B” for that matter.

[Exhibitman]

Don't worry Rhett: you guys aren't well known at all

So, I refreshed my recollection and I believe the mystery dealer hails from Louisville KY and has the same last name as the drummer from The Jam.

[BeanTown]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

Don't worry Rhett: no one likes you guys anyway

So, I refreshed my recollection and I believe the mystery dealer hails from Louisville KY and has the same last name as the drummer from The Jam.

Is the drummer related to the infamous Red Sox player that had the ball go between his legs, which ultimately cost them the series?

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by BeanTown

Is the drummer related to the infamous Red Sox player that had the ball go between his legs, which ultimately cost them the series?

I have no idea if he is related to David Ortiz.

[Rhotchkiss]

I love that we just got a Jam reference; well done Adam, great band! It's a crying shame they disbanded as early as they did.

[timn1]

Originally Posted by Rhotchkiss

I love that we just got a Jam reference; well done Adam, great band! It's a crying shame they disbanded as early as they did.

because I'm not that quick, I have only gradually grasped the point people have made about the dealer not even being willing to give up his profit. i think it's important enough to be underlined.

for those who are similarly dim, look at it this way:

dealer buys items for $1000, quickly resells them for $4000. (these amounts are hypothetical.) shortly thereafter it's discovered that the items were stolen. all legalities aside, shouldn't the dealer at the very least offer to refund the buyer $3000???? that would lessen the sting for the buyer considerably, and yet in doing so the dealer has not actually lost a penny relative to where he was before the whole thing started.


the more I understand, the more angry I get about it. in this case the dealer seems to have decided that the risk to his reputation is less important than keeping someone else's money which (if i am reading earlier posts correctly) he has no basis for considering it to be his! in the first place!!

do we want someone like this in our hobby?

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by Rhotchkiss

I love that we just got a Jam reference; well done Adam, great band! It's a crying shame they disbanded as early as they did.

That's for sure, but Paul was burnt out by that point and looking to go more in the blue-eyed soul direction anyway. I couldn't believe that the same guy who did In The City was the guy who did My Ever Changing Moods, but artists evolve. I didn't expect to see Elvis Costello jamming with Burt Bacharach either.

[rhettyeakley]

Originally Posted by exhibitman

don't worry rhett: You guys aren't well known at all

lol

[edjs]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

Don't worry Rhett: you guys aren't well known at all

So, I refreshed my recollection and I believe the mystery dealer hails from Louisville KY and has the same last name as the drummer from The Jam.

I never thought I would see a reference to the Jam on here. All Mod Cons, eh?

[egbeachley]

Based on recent posts, that's why M shouldn't have just given A the cards right away. B doesn't feel compelled to even rewind his profits and A doesn't feel compelled to file a police report.

Now how is M going to even pursue damages with the brother? Not even sure he can since the brother and M didn't deal directly.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by egbeachley

Based on recent posts, that's why M shouldn't have just given A the cards right away. B doesn't feel compelled to even rewind his profits and A doesn't feel compelled to file a police report.

Now how is M going to even pursue damages with the brother? Not even sure he can since the brother and M didn't deal directly.

M clearly put what was right above his wallet. But he does, I believe, have recourse against Chris. Of course for the amount involved and depending on where he lives a claim may not be practical.

[egbeachley]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

M clearly put what was right above his wallet. But he does, I believe, have recourse against Chris.

Maybe. But maybe not since the brothers got the cards and the money and there is no police report for M to even reference in a case against B.

I suppose B can say "what stolen cards? Just because A said they were stolen doesn't mean it's true"

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by egbeachley

Maybe. But maybe not since the brothers got the cards and the money and there is no police report for M to even reference in a case against B.

I suppose B can say "what stolen cards? Just because A said they were stolen doesn't mean it's true"

Except that B already has acknowledged to M that he knows (now) they were stolen and relied on his lawyer as a reason not to refund. I suppose B could lie about that too, in a hypothetical trial.

[Runscott]

Some of the opinions people have are very enlightening - my eyebrows were raised in surprise during most of the reading! Fortunately Peter brought sanity to the discussion.

It was also interesting to read Dan's story, since this is something that can happen to any of us as collectors. I had a couple of unique items stolen two years ago and played scenarios in my head as to what would happen if I found them on ebay or in an antique store. I finally decided that since they were only worth about $300, I would forget about it and never look at anything on ebay that looked similar to either item - basically, I never want to see them again. They were probably stolen by crackheads who threw them out on the side of the road, as they would look like worthless photographs to such people. But thinking this through made me wonder how safe it is to buy high-dollar items - virtually anything could have been stolen at some point.

[slidekellyslide]

Small update on my situation. I heard from the Lincoln police today who told me they still can not locate the woman who sold the figures to me. I asked about what I should do with the items. They told me to continue holding them. They believe that because the guy was compensated with insurance that the figures could belong to the insurance company now but that insurance companies rarely ever try to lay claim to collectibles like toys. They are also checking to see if I fall under the same laws regarding pawn shops. If the original owner wants his items back he can pay me what I paid the lady for them, but since he was compensated he will then have to pay the insurance company what he valued them at. I suspect that since I haven’t heard a word from him that his Insurance company told him this already.

[glynparson]

My brother many years ago went through a period of heavy drug abuse and did something similar. I did not go after anyone but him, I never had to get the police involved my dad and grandfather forced him to make it good. I made him pay me back replacement value,which he did after a period of time. He had an inheritance coming so it made things a little easier.

[jefferyepayne]

Originally Posted by glynparson

My brother many years ago went through a period of heavy drug abuse and did something similar. I did not go after anyone but him, I never had to get the police involved my dad and grandfather forced him to make it good. I made him pay me back replacement value,which he did after a period of time. He had an inheritance coming so it made things a little easier.

Good for you, Glyn. You and your family did the RIGHT thing.

jeff

[Kevin Savage]

After reading most of this thread- I am glad Mike and Chris were able to work something out. I consider both friends- and know neither want to handle stolen property or profit from it.

In my opinion they both are trying to do the right thing- and that is admirable.

I am always doing my best to make sure when we buy cards and buy collections- that we are buying from the rightful owner. This is a great reminder of the mess that can take place if we make the wrong purchase- no matter how removed you are from the theft and that first sale.

In the end the collectors' brother is the thief here- and in my opinion- that is where 100% of the blame should rest. He knew the cards were not his. Mike and Chris bought them in good faith. From what I know of the case- they both have gone above and beyond the moral duty in this one.