Yogi Berra Museum Broke into

[thebigtrain]

Respectfully, I am not aware of "very strong evidence" supporting the contention that Barry Halper commissioned or orchestrated any thefts and I was under the impression that one was required to post their own name in order to make such accusations on this site

Here is the article (and yes, I am aware Nash has problems, but that doesn't mean he's not correct re: Halper):

http://haulsofshame.com/blog/?p=1465#more-1465

Halper is a proven liar. He lied to Robert Creamer and said he was pals with Jimmie Foxx when Foxx coached the U of Miami baseball team. Fact is that Foxx was already gone by the time Harper enrolled at the school, and furthermore Halper was never on the baseball team. These are verified, proven lies which Halper told re: his acquisition of the forged "500 HR" autograph sheet (the Ruth auto has also been proven a forgery and a very poor one at that. Halper told conflicting lies about how he acquired that Ruth auto).

There are many other lies Halper peddled which Nash has written about, and these lies have been verified as lies by 3rd parties. His story of acquiring 19th century unis from Ollie O'Mara has been confirmed as a lie by O'Mara's son. In fact, just about every acquisition story ever told by Halper has been proven a lie, such that one assumes the man was fundamentally dishonest and engaged in perpetuating fraud. There are way too many pieces from his collection which are traceable to NYPL and other institutions for him to have been "in the dark" about their provenance. The HOF didn't remove his name from their exhibit because of Peter Nash.

Yes, Halper is dead now, and not available to be cross-examined or held to answer for his lies. But anyone who believes he was himself "duped" or didn't know how much of his stuff was stolen or forged is simply delusional.

[bigtrain]

First if all, Peter Nash does not "have problems".
He is a liar, a con man, a thief, an admitted and
convicted criminal. Halper may have lied as you
have stated but your claim was that he commissioned
or orchestrated thefts of memorabilia. I gave yet to
hear a shred of evidence to back that up.

[thebigtrain]

As Nash's article source states re: the NYPL thefts, "all roads lead to Barry Halper"

http://haulsofshame.com/blog/?p=4323

Seems like the evidence is rather overwhelming IMO.

Nash's issues have no relevance to this debate. An arsonist can still tell you if a building is on fire or not.

Halper told so many outrageous and proven lies about so many of his items that I believe the circumstantial evidence that he was involved in NYPL thefts- i,e., over 100 stolen NYPL items in his personal collection- points to the fact that he orchestrated the thefts or at least knew the items were stolen.

Let's reacap some of Halpers verified lies:

1. He said he played for Foxx at U of Miami and got Foxx and Foxx's pal Mel Ott to give him autos. Facts is Foxx was already gone when Halper started school at U Miami, and the team's captain (who was an actual friend of Foxx) said Halper was never on the baseball team.

2. Halper said he purchased the Joe Jackson fake uni via a cash deal through the mail with Jackson's heirs. He also told another reporter he bought it from Jackson's widow in the late 50s. Both stories were obvious lies as the jersey was a fake made in the 1950s or later since it had synthetic thread.

3. Halper's 19th century unis were all fakes. He claimed old Dodger Ollie O'Mara was his source and that for unknown reasons O'Mara collected and saved these old uniforms (which makes no sense- why would O'Mara have 1890s unis when he played ball 15 to 20 years later)? Nash interviewed O'Mara's son who said his father was penniless and never had any old uniforms or memorabilia period. Thus, another huge Halper lie about items that were themselves forgeries.

The "Halper was duped" excuse just doesn't fly. Halper himself fabricated lie upon verifiable lie about the source and provenance of utterly counterfeit items. This illustrates that Halper either bought these fakes and then created the stories, or else Halper commissioned others to CREATE these fakes and then made up the stories. Given his wealth, I tend to believe Halper hired people to create these fakes.

Either way, Halper is a proven liar and swindler. He knew full well these items were fake and still sold them to the HOF and duped collectors/bidders to enrich himself. He also knew full well that certain items were stolen from the NYPL and other public institutions. His behavior was sociopathic, fundamentally dishonest, and just plain wrong. If he was alive today he would likely be facing lawsuits and possible indictment for frauds and swindles.

His entire persona and "celebrity" such as it was revolved around having the greatest baseball collection on Earth, and he relished and basked in the attention it brought him. Having been born a silver spooner and never really having accomplished anything of value/importance in his own life (other than living high off inherited money), his collection was his sole "accomplishment". When thought about in a psychological sense, it becomes clear what Halper was up to, and why he did what he did.

[bigtrain]

I get that you think Halper was a liar and a bad guy,
Once again, that is not the same thing as saying he
orchestrated or commissioned thefts. If there is any
proof that Halper, either directly or indirectly hired
someone to steal artifacts, I have not heard it yet.

[murphusa]

Halper was a salesman, and a very good one, but he also was a believer to his own fault.
He had a group of dealers who he regularly did business with. He also had a thirst for baseball memorabilia. He had money
Put two and two together and you could write his story, because that is what he did in my opinion. He expanded on the story he was told or made them his own.
I highly doubt that he was responsible for the theft of the wills etc.
They were offered by dealers at flea markets, antiques store and at auctions (under the table, in the parking lots) in NE PA, North Jersey, Conn and Mass during the 70’s,80’s and 90’s
They then made it into the hands of Halper and other high end collectors.

[packs]

I read today in the NY Post that some of his World Series rings and two of his three MVP plaques were stolen.

[David Atkatz]

Originally Posted by murphusa

I highly doubt that he was responsible for the theft of the wills etc.
They were offered by dealers at flea markets, antiques store and at auctions (under the table, in the parking lots) in NE PA, North Jersey, Conn and Mass during the 70’s,80’s and 90’s
They then made it into the hands of Halper and other high end collectors.

And you know this... how?

[murphusa]

Originally Posted by David Atkatz

And you know this... how?

I went to a lot of flea markets etc during the time and saw them being offered. I was not an autograph person so I wasn't a buyer but they were around.

also to note

In late 1990's a high end collector contacted me in reference to a will of a Hall of Famer that he was being offered. He knew that my father was in law enforcement and ask if he would look into it be stolen or not. My father checked with the county clerks office that was listed on the will and was told that the will was safe and sound.

A few years latter the collector placed the will in an auction and by chance the lady who my father had spoken too saw an article in the news paper about the auction and saw that the will she was asked about was listed. She went to check on the will and found it missing from the county files. She went back through her call log, found my fathers name and contacted the FBI with the information.

The will was retrieved from the auction and returned to the County.