checking in - setting the record straight
 

Posted By: <b>Ben</b><p>Hi all,<br /><br />I thought it might be a good time to check in. As most of you know, my collection was stolen last february and, unfortunately, none of the cards have been recovered since then. I have since returned to the hobby and enjoy it again, albeit in a much smaller capacity. I've managed to pick up a few cards that I like, including a few replacements even, and have begun monitoring this forum again as well. <br /><br />Anyways, I have heard rumblings from a few friends in the hobby that people here have begun to question whether my collection had been stolen in the first place. More specifically, when I posted a scan of my new e104 mack in the "P-F in your collection?" thread, people began to assume that since that card was part of my old collection and on my stolen card list, that it was never stolen and I was trying to pull the wool over everyone's eyes. This came as a shock to me because, well, it is of course not the case. I just REPLACED the card. The old Mack I got in a trade from Scott Elkins, and was much nicer than my new one which I recently received in a trade with Andy Cook. <br /><br />I just wanted to clear this up with some of you. To think that some of you believe that I lied about having my collection stolen is very upsetting, so I hope this sets the record straight.

checking in - setting the record straight
 

Posted By: <b>identify7</b><p>Ben: The record has always been straight.<br /><br />Perhaps a few of our colleagues have misdirected their wariness from eBay to all aspects of their life. And if so, we all hope they get control of this suspicion.

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Posted By: <b>Keith O'Leary</b><p><P>Good to see a post outta ya once in a while too <img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14>.</P><P>&nbsp;</P>

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Posted By: <b>Josh K.</b><p>no doubts here - glad to see you are in the hobby again and finding some replacements.

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Posted By: <b>Ben</b><p>old:<img src="http://www.network54.com/Realm/tmp/1127519054.JPG"> new:<img src="http://www.network54.com/Realm/tmp/1127519017.JPG"> <br /><br />

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Posted By: <b>Wesley Liu</b><p>The card on the right looks bigger.

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Posted By: <b>Wesley Liu</b><p>

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Posted By: <b>Scott Elkins</b><p>The one I traded Ben on the left has the famous "scratch" on the top left corner that I have seen on a few E104-1 Macks. Also, it was much darker.

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Posted By: <b>Wesley Liu</b><p>Scott, I still have a scan. They are different cards for sure.<br /><br />

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Posted By: <b>Josh K.</b><p>Nope, sorry, they pretty much look identical to me.

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Posted By: <b>Julie Vognar</b><p>someone was using that card to shine shoes, or as a doorjam that kept getting moved around, or it got mashed down in someone's pocket, washed a number of times---and THEN: someone found it and said "OMYGOSH--it's Connie Mack!<br /><br />Like my SGC 10 Boston Kelly OJ portrait: the back is full of figures about feet (') and inches (")--like a builder ran out of paper, found a piece of cardboard, and wrote on it instead.<br /><br />Welcone back, Ben. How the hell could anyone think you made all that horror up?<br /><br /><img src="http://www.network54.com/Realm/jphotos/n162kelly_big.jpg">

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Posted By: <b>Judge Dred (Fred)</b><p>I think the dead give-away in difference is that the upper left corner on the one Mack is just a little more chewed than the other. <br /><br />Ben, it's good to see you're back! <br />

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Posted By: <b>Paul</b><p>Now I see what really happened here. Ben got bored one night and started chewing on his E104 Mack. When he realized what he had done, he was so emabarrassed that he made up this whole theft thing just to come up with a different explanation for what happened to his Mack. But we're all too clever to fall for that old scam. <br /><br />Like everyone else, I'm shocked that anyone could think something like this was true.

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Posted By: <b>Ben</b><p>If the record still isnt straight with those people who started these rumours, I ask you to identify yourself - either here, or via email. If you can gossip about me in the chatroom, you should feel comfortable directly talking to me about it as well. I would have thought that having nearly my entire collection stolen would have been enough, to have to deal with this as well is pretty horrible. <br /><br />Just as a reminder, here is a list of all the cards that were stolen. Scans are available of just about everything.<br /><br /><br />N162 Cap Anson<br />N162 Dan Brouthers<br />N162 Ed Andrews<br />N162 "Sure Shot" Dunlap<br />N162 Mike "King" Kelly<br />N172 Count Tony Mullane<br />N172 Silver Flint (portrait)<br />N172 Jim Mutrie<br />N172 Watch Burnham <br />N172 McClellan<br />N172 Buck West<br />N172 George Wood<br />N173 Old Judge Cabinets - Smith<br />N175 Gypsy Queen - Casey<br />N184 Kimball Champs - Burch<br />N321 S.F. Hess California league - Ryan<br />N28 Caruthers<br />N28 Mulvey<br />N300 Mayo Cut Plug - John Ward<br />E90-1 Ed Walsh<br />E92 Nadja - Hartzell<br />E95 Eddie Collins<br />E96 Mordecai Brown<br />E99 Bishop & Co - Hogan<br />E100 Bishop & Co - Tozer<br />E103 Bender<br />E104-1 Baker<br />E104-1 Collins<br />E104-1 Mack<br />E105 Mello Mint - Knight<br />E106 Christy Mathewson<br />E107 Gleason<br />E107 Parent<br />E107 Moore<br />E107 Jones<br />E126 Am. Caramel - Schalk<br />E286 Ju Ju Drums - Cheek<br />Colgan's "Tin Tops" - Chief Meyers<br />E224 "Texas Tommy" Connie Mack <br />"Orange Borders" - Tigers Team<br />Voskamps Coffee - Miller<br />Tango Eggs Dooin<br />D311 Pacific Coast Buscuit - Smith<br />C46 Imperial Tobacco - Hardy<br />W514 Gandil<br />W504 Universal Toy - Babe Ruth<br />V100 Willards Chocolate Babe Ruth<br />T332 Helmar Stamps - Stovall<br />1932 U.S. Caramel - Jimmy Foxx<br />T204 Ramly - Frank Chance<br />T204 Ramly - Jonny Evers<br />T204 T.T.T. Cigarettes - Jones back<br />T207 Napoleon back<br />T207 Red Cycle back<br />T209 b&w Hannifen<br />T209 colour - Cowell<br />T210 Zimmerman<br />T212 Obak - Daley<br />T213-2 Coupon - Marquard<br />T216 Kotton - Doolan<br />T222 Fatima - Schang <br />T227 Frank Baker<br />T205 Joss<br />T205 Mathewson<br />T206 Cobb (green portrait)<br />T206 Cobb (bat off) American Beauty back<br />T206 Lattimore Carolina Brights back<br />1914 Cracker Jack Tinker<br />1915 Cracker Jack Comiskey<br />1915 Cracker Jack Evers<br />1915 Cracker Jack Griffith<br />1915 Cracker Jack Speaker<br />D303 General Baking - Tris Speaker<br />D304 "Butter Krust" Barry<br />D304 "Butter Krust" Bell<br />D304 "Butter Krust" Herzog<br />D304 "General Baking" O'Toole<br />D304 "Butter Krust" Shafer<br />D304 "Butter Krust" Young<br />D322 Tip Top Gibson<br />D322 Leach <br />D322 Locke<br />D322 Simon<br />D322 Wilson<br />

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Posted By: <b>BlackSoxFan</b><p>Post a scan of the police report..that will help put the rumors to rest Ben. What's someone going to say to that? Ya know. <img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14> Cheers.<br><br>Regards,<br />Black Sox Fan<br /><br />- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -<br /><a href="http://www.blacksoxfan.com" target="new" border="0"><img src="http://www.blacksoxfan.com/images/art/sig.jpg"></a><br /><a href=mailto:shoelessjoe@blacksoxfan.com?subject=Ne t54>email me</a><br /><br />* I'm smart enough to know that there are a lot of people who know more than I do.

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Posted By: <b>barrysloate</b><p>Ben- Although I don't know you personally I'll never forget the sheer terror of your network54 posts the hours after it happened. No way you were making all that up. It's like being violated again to have people doubt you. That's my gut and I'm sticking to it.

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Posted By: <b>Dan Koteles</b><p>horrible !<br /><br />I couldnt imagine losing those Butter Krusts, Tip Tops, along w/many others.<br /><br />There are vindictive people everywhere in society , they get in automobiles<br />too !<br /><br />Just keep rebuilding, you know there are enough supporters here to fend off these<br />rediculous accusers !<br /><br />good luck<br />Dan

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Posted By: <b>Dan Lundrigan</b><p>I`m new and this is the first time I have heard about your collection being stolen.I`m sorry to hear about it,A scan of a police report is not necessary for me to see.Your word is good enough!

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Posted By: <b>Ben</b><p>Thanks for the support guys. It's good to know that the people spreading rumours about me are in the minority. I have moved on, but this kind of an accusation really does sting. Dan (new guy), I appreciate your remarks as well. Here are the threads that will fill you in on the details about the theft. The first post was made just minutes after I had discovered what happened:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.network54.com/Forum/thread?forumid=153652&messageid=1108939280&lp=1109 203118" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://www.network54.com/Forum/thread?forumid=153652&messageid=1108939280&lp=1109 203118</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.network54.com/Forum/thread?forumid=153652&messageid=1109202424&lp=1109 276724" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://www.network54.com/Forum/thread?forumid=153652&messageid=1109202424&lp=1109 276724</a><br /><br />

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Posted By: <b>Brian</b><p>Ben, shortly after reading your posting many many months ago...I decided it wasn't such a great idea to openly display my valuable cards on a shelf like I had been doing...I moved them to a safe deposit box and now share my collection through scans and webpage. <br /><br />Brian E.

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Posted By: <b>Julie Vognar</b><p>to him by the board...he's collecting asgain.<br /><br />It was "Fat Boy"s idea: evreryone pick one of Ben's cards and replace it...but I know it didn't work out that way,. except in isolated instances..we just all sent the best stuff we could bear to let go of...<br /><br />I know when I had to sell all my cards, when I replaced them, I tended to avoid the EXACT SAME CARDS I had befroe.,.for whatever reason/.//

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Posted By: <b>robert a</b><p>I still think that you will get your cards back Ben....or at least some of them. I just think that many of those examples are too nice to slip by the number of people who are aware of your collection when the person who stole them decides to sell them. <br /><br />Anyone who has emailed with you and traded with you in the past knows that you wouldn't fake this either.<br /><br /><br /><br />

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Posted By: <b>barry arnold</b><p>Glad to see you on board (forgive the play on words)again.<br />I remember very well that horrific day when we heard your desperation and pain on this board. There's no way such anguish<br />could be fiction.<br />I continue to watch out for the T210 Zimmerman.<br /><br />I hope and pray that you get your treasures back.<br /><br />all the best<br /><br />Barry

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Posted By: <b>Wesley Liu</b><p>&lt;Post a scan of the police report..that will help put the rumors to rest Ben. What's someone going to say to that? Ya know. Cheers.&gt;<br />This is not a bad idea Ben. It would certainly put all doubts to rest. Afterall, it is one thing to make up a story but another thing to file a false police report. If you have it you should post a scan the police report (after you redact your address of course and private info of course) and I am sure the remaining doubters will come around.<br />

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Posted By: <b>Julie Vognar</b><p>Nothing on the message part. The title was "An N162 Kelly scan...what a surprise"<br /><br />I answered "Whoever you are--that is the very N162 Kelly stolen from Ben Fisher. I saved the scan from our first "Picture Sharing Thread!"--2-3 years ago!<br /> <br /> Julie----good eyes.<br /><br />But now I'm not so sure...why didn't he sign his e-mail?<br />Still seems to be the most likely explanation--that he thought he'd seen it before, and it was Ben's --but wasn't sure...<br />Or maybe he was just sick of me posting N162 Kellys...since he didn't say anything else, and didn't answer my e-mail, I have no way of knowing. <br /><br />The scan in question is about half-way up this column.

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Posted By: <b>Bill Kasel</b><p>If people want to question you....****'em, they're not worth knowing anyway. As for posting a copy of the police report, that's unneccessary in my opinion. Don't let a few rotten apples spoil anything for you, life's too short.<br /><br />I wish you the best in getting your collection back.<br /><br />Sincerely,<br /><br />Bill