John Rogers: From Net 54 to Prison

[calvindog]

As some of the people who have been on Net 54 for more than a year will remember, John Rogers was a board member, collector and fraudster who conspired with -- and ultimately cooperated against -- his friend Doug Allen of Mastro/Legendary fame. When he wasn't stealing from his investors, his bank, his friends and anyone else who crossed his path, John was a prolific liar on the board as well.

Here's the story of John's recently filed criminal charges which contains his cocaine addiction as an excuse for his decade of fraud:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...912-story.html

And the Information with which he was charged:
http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/publ...indictment.pdf

Despite cooperating with the feds, John will be spending a lot of time in federal prison soon; assuming he remains out of his local jails. Before these charges finally were filed, John had been stealing for years:
https://www.minnpost.com/media/2015/...d-star-tribune

and: http://www.statesmanjournal.com/stor...lary/76725156/

But my favorite John Rogers lie was when in a Net 54 thread he somehow forgot that he sold a Wagner that he claimed to presently own -- presumably he was on a real cocaine bender while typing up these lies: http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=114597

The best part of this thread -- other than his obvious lie -- was his support for his friend Doug Allen, his co-conspirator and business partner who he later served up to the feds in order to cut his own jail time. Poor Doug trusted one of his fraudster friends too many and it cost him years in a federal prison.

[Leon]

What a story.....We reap what we sow. Hopefully he will pay his dues and get on the right track. Same with the other guys who are in trouble too.

[Robert_Lifson]

Hi Jeff and Leon and all of Net54! This really is an incredible story. It is even more amazing when one looks at all the public civil case documents that are easily accessed online (Arkansas happens to have a great site for this; requires a little getting used to but once you get the hang of it, it is amazing the case documents that can be accessed and it is very impressive):

https://caseinfo.aoc.arkansas.gov/cc...in.cp_main_idx

Included (and this is just the tip of the iceberg) are: Documents that are forged, borrowing money to finance the purchase of (and to use as collateral) collections that don’t exist, fake items, purchase and sale exhibit documents involving names such as John Rogers’ close associates Doug Allen and Peter Nash, fake cards used for collateral, more than 100% of a given deal committed for sale or use for collateral, green cash payments sent by mail, and creating email accounts in the name of others (at least one anyway) to impersonate a legitimate person to convince others that fake or questionable items are authentic.

This last one really hits home: I was informed by law enforcement that Rogers was impersonating me to vouch for items in “correspondence” he created and forwarded to a customer. See section 18 of the Criminal Information document. I assume I am the “Dealer 1”! I wasn't given much in the way of details except the email address had my name in it and the "alternate universe Robert Lifson" created by John Rogers was writing to vouch for items that apparently were very problematic to help Rogers sell his "wares". That was just about the craziest call I ever got! I have barely been able keep up with all the frauds perpetrated by Rogers. I have tried and all I can say is that it is fascinating and a very rich vein to mine for those interested!

Hope everyone on Net54 is well! And it is great to see Jeff L post again!


Sincerely,

Rob L

Robert Lifson

info@americanainvestments.com

[bravos4evr]

dang Rob that's a crazy story! it's like something from TV..... people.......... man sometimes they just find new and amazing ways to disappoint us

[Griffins]

Sorry if this was contained in the links (I couldn't see the answer), but has he been sentenced for any of this yet? Doug and Bill are both serving time, is there anyone else from Mastro/Legendary?

[grainsley]

Greed does wonderful things to people.

[slidekellyslide]

I wonder when Peter Nash will write about this on Haulsofshame.com ?

[Peter_Spaeth]

Hmmmm.

In a lengthy Facebook post Monday, Rogers apologized for his actions and said he had no one to blame but himself. He even thanked federal investigators from saving him from "a downward spiral of cocaine addiction."

"Had they not stepped in, I would be dead now," Rogers wrote. "I made hugely regretful, shameful mistakes, clouded in the daily haze of drug addiction, that I am ready to acknowledge and accept."

[SAllen2556]

Very sad to read about Mary Brace and her father's photos. I'd sure like to know why she didn't use an auction house or consider donating them to an institution that could have preserved them. Went for the quick buck I suppose. Too bad.

[rjackson44]

I agree with scott .so sad man.

[sago]

Originally Posted by slidekellyslide

I wonder when Peter Nash will write about this on Haulsofshame.com ?

Right after his series on the Cooperstown Forger

d@v1d. d@vls

[EvilKing00]

Screw a few people, make a few extra bucks and go to jail...

Seems to me you get much further in life being honest

[brian1961]

[QUOTE=EvilKing00;1584506]Screw a few people, make a few extra bucks and go to jail...

Seems to me you get much further in life being honest[/QUOTE

[Rookiemonster]

Hey atleast he'll be getting his hands on a bunch of SETs now. There is sure
To be a few color variation to chase.

[Fred]

Just out of curiosity, would JRs sentence have been heavier if he didn't claim his "drug addiction" as the cause of all his transgressions? If so, let me remember that.... note to self, if you ever think about committing a lot of crimes, don't forget to buy a lot of drugs as part of the plan, so that (if caught) I will get a lighter sentence when I apologize and blame the drug addiction.

I think one of the funniest/saddest parts of the saga was when he rolled on Doug.

What were the sentences they received?

[unamuzd1]

Originally Posted by Rookiemonster

Hey atleast he'll be getting his hands on a bunch of SETs now. There is sure
To be a few color variation to chase.

You might consider editing this to clarify, since I'm sure it doesn't mean what it looks like it means.

[slidekellyslide]

Originally Posted by unamuzd1

You might consider editing this to clarify, since I'm sure it doesn't mean what it looks like it means.

I'm not even sure what he means by that??

[Cat]

Originally Posted by Fred

What were the sentences they received?

From Memory:

Mastro - 20 months
Allen - 57 months
Theokotsis (sp?) - 12 months + 1 day

[Rookiemonster]

Originally Posted by slidekellyslide

I'm not even sure what he means by that??

Lol sorry guys just a little prison humor. A set refers to a mans aaaaa well what makes him a man.

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by EvilKing00

Screw a few people, make a few extra bucks and go to jail...

Seems to me you get much further in life being honest

Opinions vary greatly. Mastro only got 20 months and made millions. I would do 20 months for all the cash he made screwing people in a heartbeat. This is the guy who admitted doing anything to improve an item so it would sell for more cash.

Look at the Mastro shill bidder list. Look how many are still running auction houses or are big names in the card grading industry. It is actually quite sickening.

[1952boyntoncollector]

Originally Posted by bnorth

Opinions vary greatly. Mastro only got 20 months and made millions. I would do 20 months for all the cash he made screwing people in a heartbeat. This is the guy who admitted doing anything to improve an item so it would sell for more cash.

Look at the Mastro shill bidder list. Look how many are still running auction houses or are big names in the card grading industry. It is actually quite sickening.

Somes jobs where you make 20k a year feel more like prison then some of these Club Fed prisons where Mastro would be making about 1 million a month for 20 months apparently given what you stated.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by 1952boyntoncollector

Somes jobs where you make 20k a year feel more like prison then some of these Club Fed prisons where Mastro would be making about 1 million a month for 20 months apparently given what you stated.

What's your basis for making that comparison?

[Stonepony]

Originally Posted by 1952boyntoncollector

Somes jobs where you make 20k a year feel more like prison then some of these Club Fed prisons where Mastro would be making about 1 million a month for 20 months apparently given what you stated.

I think that's a reasonable statement that doesn't need clarification.

[thecatspajamas]

Originally Posted by SAllen2556

Very sad to read about Mary Brace and her father's photos. I'd sure like to know why she didn't use an auction house or consider donating them to an institution that could have preserved them. Went for the quick buck I suppose. Too bad.

Not the main point of this thread I know, but for what it's worth, Mary Brace hardly went for the quick buck when it came to the Burke/Brace collection. She operated the business of making prints from the negatives for years as her father's health declined, and continued for a decade after his passing. Without knowing the particulars of the deal with Rogers, I believe the big selling point for her was the promise of a return of digital scans of the negatives from which she could continue to supply prints to players and their families and fans. She could have easily turned the whole thing over to an auction house to part out and maximize her return, but in the end, she took the deal that would (she thought) best enable her to carry on the family business without the labor-intensive handling of the physical negatives.

In the interview below, she alludes to a website that was supposed to have been set up for the Burke/Brace archive that would have all of the digitized photos available, similar to what Rogers had done with the Conlon archive.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/chi-14...miumvideo.html

I don't think she went for the quick buck at all, but perhaps let her desire to have the digitized archive override her business savvy. At the time, with Rogers having done similar deals with multiple newspapers to digitize their archives, having the Conlon website up and running, and by all appearances having the financial and physical ability to pull off what he was proposing, I don't think Mary had any real reason to question the deal that Rogers was offering. In hindsight, even in the quotes in the previous linked articles, she seemed to be lamenting the break-up and loss of the image archive more than the lack of restitution.

[BengoughingForAwhile]

Originally Posted by 1952boyntoncollector

Somes jobs where you make 20k a year feel more like prison then some of these Club Fed prisons where Mastro would be making about 1 million a month for 20 months apparently given what you stated.

Exactly what I was thinking. Brilliant minds think alike.

[slidekellyslide]

Originally Posted by thecatspajamas

Not the main point of this thread I know, but for what it's worth, Mary Brace hardly went for the quick buck when it came to the Burke/Brace collection. She operated the business of making prints from the negatives for years as her father's health declined, and continued for a decade after his passing. Without knowing the particulars of the deal with Rogers, I believe the big selling point for her was the promise of a return of digital scans of the negatives from which she could continue to supply prints to players and their families and fans. She could have easily turned the whole thing over to an auction house to part out and maximize her return, but in the end, she took the deal that would (she thought) best enable her to carry on the family business without the labor-intensive handling of the physical negatives.

In the interview below, she alludes to a website that was supposed to have been set up for the Burke/Brace archive that would have all of the digitized photos available, similar to what Rogers had done with the Conlon archive.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/chi-14...miumvideo.html

I don't think she went for the quick buck at all, but perhaps let her desire to have the digitized archive override her business savvy. At the time, with Rogers having done similar deals with multiple newspapers to digitize their archives, having the Conlon website up and running, and by all appearances having the financial and physical ability to pull off what he was proposing, I don't think Mary had any real reason to question the deal that Rogers was offering. In hindsight, even in the quotes in the previous linked articles, she seemed to be lamenting the break-up and loss of the image archive more than the lack of restitution.

Very well said. And one of the biggest reasons that no one should feel sympathy for that lying sack of excrement. I hope he rots in prison for years.

[SAllen2556]

Originally Posted by thecatspajamas

Not the main point of this thread I know, but for what it's worth, Mary Brace hardly went for the quick buck when it came to the Burke/Brace collection. She operated the business of making prints from the negatives for years as her father's health declined, and continued for a decade after his passing. Without knowing the particulars of the deal with Rogers, I believe the big selling point for her was the promise of a return of digital scans of the negatives from which she could continue to supply prints to players and their families and fans. She could have easily turned the whole thing over to an auction house to part out and maximize her return, but in the end, she took the deal that would (she thought) best enable her to carry on the family business without the labor-intensive handling of the physical negatives.

In the interview below, she alludes to a website that was supposed to have been set up for the Burke/Brace archive that would have all of the digitized photos available, similar to what Rogers had done with the Conlon archive.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/chi-14...miumvideo.html

I don't think she went for the quick buck at all, but perhaps let her desire to have the digitized archive override her business savvy. At the time, with Rogers having done similar deals with multiple newspapers to digitize their archives, having the Conlon website up and running, and by all appearances having the financial and physical ability to pull off what he was proposing, I don't think Mary had any real reason to question the deal that Rogers was offering. In hindsight, even in the quotes in the previous linked articles, she seemed to be lamenting the break-up and loss of the image archive more than the lack of restitution.

Yes, I can only imagine the degree of her lament. Thanks Lance, that certainly answers the question!

[MULLINS5]

My little brother (29 years old) was recently sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for armed robbery of three banks. He suffered from heroine addiction and believes he would be dead if he wasn't caught. He was a train conductor and made 100k a year, but it wasn't enough. Nobody in the family knew he was on drugs until he was arrested.

As a collector who has been scammed several times in my early days in this hobby, I feel for the victims. I also feel for Rogers because of my personal experience with my brother.

My brother is genuinely remorseful for what he did to the employees and customers in the banks on the days he robbed them. I didn't see anything about Rogers showing remorse for his actions, though I could have easily missed this (please correct me if I am wrong). Other than the victims who would've been scammed in the future, there are no winners here.

[vintagewhitesox]

Originally Posted by bnorth

Opinions vary greatly. Mastro only got 20 months and made millions. I would do 20 months for all the cash he made screwing people in a heartbeat. This is the guy who admitted doing anything to improve an item so it would sell for more cash.

Look at the Mastro shill bidder list. Look how many are still running auction houses or are big names in the card grading industry. It is actually quite sickening.

You wouldn't want to spend 1 minute in a federal prison, no matter where you are housed. They are horrible places that take away your freedom and your security is never insured. I wouldn't trade 20 million for my freedom and my family.

Rogers' arraignment is on 10/7. He hasn't been indicted which makes it sound like he will most likely plead guilty.
He will have a similar problem like Allen, with the obstruction of justice issue. Allen warned Rogers about the FBI raid, and if Rogers destroyed documents in anticipation of that raid, he's got a problem.
A judge can consider similarly situated defendants' sentences (i.e, Allen, Mastro) in fashioning a sentence for Rogers. Most likely he won't get higher than Allen, but not less than Mastro.

[ksabet]

Originally Posted by MULLINS5

My little brother (29 years old) was recently sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for armed robbery of three banks. He suffered from heroine addiction and believes he would be dead if he wasn't caught. He was a train conductor and made 100k a year, but it wasn't enough. Nobody in the family knew he was on drugs until he was arrested.

As a collector who has been scammed several times in my early days in this hobby, I feel for the victims. I also feel for Rogers because of my personal experience with my brother.

My brother is genuinely remorseful for what he did to the employees and customers in the banks on the days he robbed them. I didn't see anything about Rogers showing remorse for his actions, though I could have easily missed this (please correct me if I am wrong). Other than the victims who would've been scammed in the future, there are no winners here.

This is really interesting to me. I have a similar relation in my life and it made me wonder what these guys would have to do to get back in the graces of society let alone the card community.

What amends or actions would these guys need to take in order to have a second chance upon finishing their punishment? Or are their crimes so heinous that they are beyond second chances. I am really on the fence. I want to have compassion for someone after they served their time, but John Rogers may have irreparably damaged innocent families and therefore if they can never be whole why should he?

JP at Memory Lane seems to have bounced back, would it be possible for Mastro or Allen? IMO the callous and repetitive nature of their crimes should have some lifelong repercussion.

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by vintagewhitesox

You wouldn't want to spend 1 minute in a federal prison, no matter where you are housed. They are horrible places that take away your freedom and your security is never insured. I wouldn't trade 20 million for my freedom and my family.

I am not sure how anybody got this 20 million figure. Maybe Jake's post that made no sense.

I have done time it really is not that bad. Like with life outside it is what you make it.

[calvindog]

Originally Posted by vintagewhitesox

You wouldn't want to spend 1 minute in a federal prison, no matter where you are housed. They are horrible places that take away your freedom and your security is never insured. I wouldn't trade 20 million for my freedom and my family.

Rogers' arraignment is on 10/7. He hasn't been indicted which makes it sound like he will most likely plead guilty.
He will have a similar problem like Allen, with the obstruction of justice issue. Allen warned Rogers about the FBI raid, and if Rogers destroyed documents in anticipation of that raid, he's got a problem.
A judge can consider similarly situated defendants' sentences (i.e, Allen, Mastro) in fashioning a sentence for Rogers. Most likely he won't get higher than Allen, but not less than Mastro.

Rogers has a huge bank fraud to deal with which Mastro and Allen did not. I suspect his sentencing guidelines will be significantly higher; in addition, there won't be the same dispute as to loss amount as there was with Mastro and Allen which caused some of the concessions made by the feds at sentencing.

And of course, no one has ever claimed that Mastro made even remotely close to $20 million from his scheme. Not even close. The government claimed that Mastro made between 400K and a million dollars although Mastro destroyed bidding records which could have raised that figure. Assuming he stole $2 million, he also paid a 250K fine and probably a $1 million in legal fees. One would have to be crazy to want to become a felon, lose their reputation and livelihood and spend 20 months in prison for maybe a 750K gain. I think when you appreciate how little money he actually made from his fraud it becomes clear that Mastro was more interested in power than money. He had a very profitable business without the fraud. Rogers, on the other hand, was just a greedy, dishonest lowlife.

[Huck]

Originally Posted by SAllen2556

Very sad to read about Mary Brace and her father's photos. I'd sure like to know why she didn't use an auction house or consider donating them to an institution that could have preserved them. Went for the quick buck I suppose. Too bad.

I purchased photographs from Mary Brace on a few occasions. She was always very pleasant to do business with. I was surprised when she sold the collection. She provided me with contact information (John Rogers) of the new owner of the collection. Eventually, I was able to contact John, but due to his lack of returning email messages in a timely matter, I was never able to purchase additional photographs. Ah well, with only $150 at stake, he had bigger fish to fry.

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by calvindog

Rogers has a huge bank fraud to deal with which Mastro and Allen did not. I suspect his sentencing guidelines will be significantly higher; in addition, there won't be the same dispute as to loss amount as there was with Mastro and Allen which caused some of the concessions made by the feds at sentencing.

And of course, no one has ever claimed that Mastro made even remotely close to $20 million from his scheme. Not even close. The government claimed that Mastro made between 400K and a million dollars although Mastro destroyed bidding records which could have raised that figure. Assuming he stole $2 million, he also paid a 250K fine and probably a $1 million in legal fees. One would have to be crazy to want to become a felon, lose their reputation and livelihood and spend 20 months in prison for maybe a 750K gain. I think when you appreciate how little money he actually made from his fraud it becomes clear that Mastro was more interested in power than money. He had a very profitable business without the fraud. Rogers, on the other hand, was just a greedy, dishonest lowlife.

Not trying to argue Jeff. I would think Mastro make way over 2 million defrauding costumers in his career. Even with your 750K after expenses estimate there are millions of people who would do 20 months for that amount. You have to take into account that 750K is way more than the average person has made in the last 20 years combined. Yes most rich people would never do it on purpose but 750K is nothing to them. To the average person it is many many years of wages.

[1952boyntoncollector]

Originally Posted by bnorth

I am not sure how anybody got this 20 million figure. Maybe Jake's post that made no sense.

I have done time it really is not that bad. Like with life outside it is what you make it.

Just giving an example...you did say he made 'millions'...

Not saying he made 20 million, who knows what he made..maybe more or less...the exact figure was not important..

Concept is..rather do jail for 20 months and make millions? Or rather work at a tough job and make 20-50k a year for a lifetime. Some will choose one, some would choose the other. Thats all i meant..thanks

I do get there is a big difference between 20 million and 2 million in regards to someone risking their freedom for something but was not trying to debate that issue.

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by 1952boyntoncollector

Just giving an example...you did say he made 'millions'...

Not saying he made 20 million, who knows what he made..maybe more or less...the exact figure was not important..

Concept is..rather do jail for 20 months and make millions? Or rather work at a tough job and make 20-50k a year for a lifetime. Some will choose one, some would choose the other. Thats all i meant..thanks

OK that makes sense. I didn't get the 20 million #.

[Yoda]

it is only my twisted mind, but I can't help but wonder that, in the remote possibility that Rogers and Allen serve their time in the same Fed pen, whether Doug might be waiting for John in the prison shower room for a little chat. You know, explain the ropes of prison bathing etiquette, that sort of thing.

[Leon]

You have never personally met both of them, obviously.

Originally Posted by Yoda

it is only my twisted mind, but I can't help but wonder that, in the remote possibility that Rogers and Allen serve their time in the same Fed pen, whether Doug might be waiting for John in the prison shower room for a little chat. You know, explain the ropes of prison bathing etiquette, that sort of thing.

[Yoda]

I have never met Rogers, and from the sound of it that's a good thing, but I have known Doug for nearly 20 years and was both sickened and saddened by the whole Mastro disclosure. It never occurred to me that he was anything but straightforward and honest. I can say almost categorically that I never felt there was any shill bidding on my behalf for any of my consignments given to Mastro via my friend Kevin Struss. An example is when I folded up the Fullcount tent in 2005 and liquidated the inventory in a Mastro auction. One of the many great cards there was a Sporting News Ruth rookie, graded by Derek Grady of SGC as 70 ex+. I believe it fetched around $15,000 at auction and not the $140,000 level we are seeing today. I fear Doug fooled a lot of people, including me.

[WhenItWasAHobby]

What I find intriguing is that Rogers, Mastro and Allen had successful businesses and yet they all chose to go to "the dark side". I recall seeing a TV interview with a convicted "wise guy" many years ago, and his observation was that if you are going to steal from someone, do it wearing a suit and the punishment will rarely fit the crime.

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

Originally Posted by WhenItWasAHobby

What I find intriguing is that Rogers, Mastro and Allen had successful businesses and yet they all chose to go to "the dark side". I recall seeing a TV interview with a convicted "wise guy" many years ago, and his observation was that if you are going to steal from someone, do it wearing a suit and the punishment will rarely fit the crime.

Movie War Dogs was a great example of that.

[BeanTown]

Originally Posted by Yoda

I have never met Rogers, and from the sound of it that's a good thing, but I have known Doug for nearly 20 years and was both sickened and saddened by the whole Mastro disclosure. It never occurred to me that he was anything but straightforward and honest. I can say almost categorically that I never felt there was any shill bidding on my behalf for any of my consignments given to Mastro via my friend Kevin Struss. An example is when I folded up the Fullcount tent in 2005 and liquidated the inventory in a Mastro auction. One of the many great cards there was a Sporting News Ruth rookie, graded by Derek Grady of SGC as 70 ex+. I believe it fetched around $15,000 at auction and not the $140,000 level we are seeing today. I fear Doug fooled a lot of people, including me.

John, back in 2005,06,07 is when AHs used to advertise no reserves and they would have their own way of putting a (hidden) reserve on it. Now, it's common for AHs to have reserves and more of the norm which makes everyone happy including the consignor. Using your Ruth as an example, it would have been great if you would have consigned it and said put "X" as a reserve or send it back. Hopefully you were not told a reserve would be done and it didn't happen or a contract of your consignments disappeared when you wanted to remind them of what was agreed upon.

It's safe to say that it's a much better time to sell and buy in the hobby. Plus, AHs are now doing full disclosures ( I hope) and following their rules.

[1952boyntoncollector]

Originally Posted by WhenItWasAHobby

What I find intriguing is that Rogers, Mastro and Allen had successful businesses and yet they all chose to go to "the dark side". I recall seeing a TV interview with a convicted "wise guy" many years ago, and his observation was that if you are going to steal from someone, do it wearing a suit and the punishment will rarely fit the crime.

Easier to steal with a pen than than gun and punishments much less as well.

[pbspelly]

Originally Posted by MULLINS5

My little brother (29 years old) was recently sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for armed robbery of three banks. He suffered from heroine addiction and believes he would be dead if he wasn't caught. He was a train conductor and made 100k a year, but it wasn't enough. Nobody in the family knew he was on drugs until he was arrested.

.

Not to make light of your family's situation, or your comment, which I found very sad and moving, but I think you mean heroin. A heroine addiction would be someone addicted to Wonder Woman or other leading ladies.

[Rich Klein]

Wonder Woman, Bionic Woman, Bat Girl, etc. Where I do sign up for that addiction

[MULLINS5]

Originally Posted by pbspelly

Not to make light of your family's situation, or your comment, which I found very sad and moving, but I think you mean heroin. A heroine addiction would be someone addicted to Wonder Woman or other leading ladies.

Hah! Thanks for the laugh. Auto-correct strikes again

[whitehse]

Originally Posted by biohazard

I purchased photographs from Mary Brace on a few occasions. She was always very pleasant to do business with. I was surprised when she sold the collection. She provided me with contact information (John Rogers) of the new owner of the collection. Eventually, I was able to contact John, but due to his lack of returning email messages in a timely matter, I was never able to purchase additional photographs. Ah well, with only $150 at stake, he had bigger fish to fry.

I had a chance to see Mr. Brace on a daily basis at Wrigley Field when I worked there in the '80's and while he could be occasionally gruff, I found him to be an awesome source of baseball information. He told stories of sitting in the dugout with Ruth and Gehrig and working with and being on a first name basis with most of the legends of the game during the 20th century. The man was like a walking Cooperstown with his stories he had in his head. I was saddened to read that his negatives were sold off and even more saddened to know his family got stiffed in the process. He was a man who was proud of his work and was diligent in everything he did.

Sometimes this awesome hobby just sucks because of the few a******* that are in it......

[Keith_Loving]

Not to bump an old thread, but I wish the contents on the hard drives that he tried to "steal" could be made available online for a price. I am sure there are scans on there that I would buy of particular lesser known players form the 1930s Cardinals teams. Hope the work that was put into scanning images onto the hard drives won't lead to a dead end.

I feel bad for Mary Brace, she had a treasure trove and its gone!

[MikeGarcia]

Originally Posted by Keith_Loving

Not to bump an old thread, but I wish the contents on the hard drives that he tried to "steal" could be made available online for a price. I am sure there are scans on there that I would buy of particular lesser known players form the 1930s Cardinals teams. Hope the work that was put into scanning images onto the hard drives won't lead to a dead end.

I feel bad for Mary Brace, she had a treasure trove and its gone!

...Hello....you sound like you might know 1930's St. Louis Cardinals players ?

..Might you know the names of the players on the two Burke 4 x 6's which are not signed ? The backs are devoid of any identification except for the classic standard stamp : "Geo C. Burke 847 Belmont Ave. Chicago, Ill."---I appreciate any help , thanks , MG54

..

[cardinalcollector]

I believe that is Ed Delker in the middle and Burgess Whitehead on the right.