Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales

[sports-rings]

Michael, Now you are simply being obtuse. You are evidently not going to let facts get in the way of your crusade. You're going to have to continue your rants without further participation from me.

First off, I am thrilled that these posts are not on the SCD website, where editors can pick and choose what messages stay and which go.

So Bob, if you won't respond to my messages anymore, that's fine, I guess you too, will be putting your head in the sand and ignoring the role SCD played in helping Coach's Corner and Morales grow their business while they ripped off collectors in our hobby.

How dare you claim I am being obtuse. I asked you three times to let us know what you planned to do going forward to help the hobby. You continue to avoid the issue, avoid a response, and now your self-proclamation of no longer responding to my posts proves my intuition - You have no backbone and you should be ashamed of your attitude and your role in this mess. You could help but you have decided not too. Well done Bob, well done!

I value the opinion of the contributors here. Do others feel I am on a crusade and have I been obtuse? Have facts been presented and I'm wrong and owe Bob an apology?

[earlywynnfan]

I've been following this thread and have been staying out of it, but I feel it would help some members know what side some of us are on.

Bob, forgive me if I missed this somewhere in the seemingly endless thread: Have you done anything to stop the flow of fakes coming from CC? If not, do you plan to?

These seem to be the biggest questions posed to you, and to my aging eyes, they seem to be the questions you are trying very hard to avoid. If my interpretation is correct, I'm finding myself to be disappointed (again!) at a well-known and well-respected member of the sports memorabilia hobby.

Ken
earlywynnfan5@hotmail.com

[keithsky]

I have no side in this and just my opinion but I would think the employees current and past of SCD would not want to say anything was wrong with CC and admit it on NET54 even if they knew anything in fear that if the FBI ever takes down CC they would be questioned and involved and don't know if any of them would want that and why would you admit that on NET54. It would be the right thing to do and get the ball rollling if it hasn't yet to get the FBI to see why CC is still in business. I subsrcibed to SCD for 20 years and cancelled my subscription about 4 or 5 years ago when all the CC talk was going around. I refussed to support a magazine at the time that wasn't in the best interest of the collectors. So much negative stuff at the time about CC and no one there did anything. Just sad. I don't know Mr. Lemke so I have no opinion on what he did or didn't do or know. Can't jump on a guy if I don't know him. Just my opinion on this and I don't claim to be smart.

[Bob Lemke]

Finally, some succinct, thoughtful questions . . .

Originally Posted by RichardSimon

Bob-
Who specifically had jurisdiction over the CC ads for all those years?
Whomever had the title of publisher.

Who approved the CC advertising?
The ad manager would have had the week-to-week contact with CC or any other advertiser.


Do you think or know if this person(s) was aware of what they were doing in regards to CC?
CC advertised for some years before they went rogue or were suspected of purveying an unusual volume of suspect items. I don't believe any of the ad managers had enough hobby expertise to cull the sheep from the lambs when dealing with hundreds of items in a given ad. I also believe that the people who had that position had enough integrity to raise red flags to the publisher if they suspected wrongdoing.


Can you speculate about the CSC ads now and why people who contact SCD seem to be getting a complete runaround. One day they are told CSC will be gone and poof a short time later they are back again.
I cannot. I have no regular contact with anybody at SCD. I think any perceived "runaround" regarding the current CSC ad is the result of the ad manager having been at the National.

Specific answers would be desirable.

If this isn't specific enough for you, please feel free to elaborate.

[RichardSimon]

Originally Posted by Bob Lemke

Finally, some succinct, thoughtful questions . . .


If this isn't specific enough for you, please feel free to elaborate.

Some names perhaps, if you do have that info, that is what I meant by specific.

[Bob Lemke]

Originally Posted by earlywynnfan

I've been following this thread and have been staying out of it, but I feel it would help some members know what side some of us are on.

Bob, forgive me if I missed this somewhere in the seemingly endless thread: Have you done anything to stop the flow of fakes coming from CC? If not, do you plan to?

These seem to be the biggest questions posed to you, and to my aging eyes, they seem to be the questions you are trying very hard to avoid. If my interpretation is correct, I'm finding myself to be disappointed (again!) at a well-known and well-respected member of the sports memorabilia hobby.

Ken
earlywynnfan5@hotmail.com

I'm sorry if I haven't been clear enough. I have no plans to do anything to "stop the flow of fakes coming from CC." Why in the world would you assume that responsibility should fall on me?

[thetruthisoutthere]

Originally Posted by Bob Lemke

I'm sorry if I haven't been clear enough. I have no plans to do anything to "stop the flow of fakes coming from CC." Why in the world would you assume that responsibility should fall on me?

Shouldn't it be the responsibility of all hobbyists, Bob?

[packs]

Why not just be honest and say if an advertiser can come up with the money to run an ad SCD will print the ad.

[RichardSimon]

Originally Posted by packs

Why not just be honest and say if an advertiser can come up with the money to run an ad SCD will print the ad.

How sadly true.

[David Atkatz]

Originally Posted by Bob Lemke

I have no plans to do anything to "stop the flow of fakes coming from CC."

Neither do I.

Unless I can think of some scheme that might actually work.

Wait! How about this? I sit in a darkened room, with a light shining on me, and a camcorder focused on my face. I then hold up screenshot after screenshot of CC's forgeries, while repeating over and over "The buyers of this crap are morons and idiots. The buyers of this crap are morons and idiots. The buyers of this crap are morons and idiots... "

Then I post the video on YouTube.

Coach's Corner, you are going down!

[earlywynnfan]

Originally Posted by David Atkatz

Neither do I.

Unless I can think of some scheme that might actually work.

Wait! How about this? I sit in a darkened room, with a light shining on me, and a camcorder focused on my face. I then hold up screenshot after screenshot of CC's forgeries, while repeating over and over "The buyers of this crap are morons and idiots. The buyers of this crap are morons and idiots. The buyers of this crap are morons and idiots... "

Then I post the video on YouTube.

Coach's Corner, you are going down!

I'm not saying I agree with Chris, and I have no idea if his videos have had any effect. But if his efforts have stopped ONE buyer from purchasing from CC, then his approach seems to have a much better batting average than "I'm going to sit in my house like some High and Mighty Crabass doing absolutely nothing."

Ken

[David Atkatz]

Ken, when a prospective buyer emails or PMs me, or, indeed, posts on the board, asking for an opinion, I've always been happy to provide one.

I'm quite sure--and I know many here would agree--I've prevented many a buyer from being taken.

[thetruthisoutthere]

Originally Posted by David Atkatz

Ken, when a prospective buyer emails or PMs me, or, indeed, posts on the board, asking for an opinion, I've always been happy to provide one.

I'm quite sure--and I know many here would agree--I've prevented many a buyer from being taken.

Atkatz is correct about that.

As a matter of fact, Atkatz opined freely and frequently on the Frank Prisco thread until that letter from the lawyer arrived, and we never heard from Atkatz again on that thread.

While Leon actually mockingly posted the letter on Net54 which came from Prisco's lawyer, Atkatz was never heard from again. While the other Net54 members continued to rally in support of Leon, and continued to opine about the inventory of Frank Prisco, we didn't read a peep from Atkatz. Big man in the hobby, David, lots of helping hands all around from you.

[RichardSimon]

Originally Posted by earlywynnfan

But if his efforts have stopped ONE buyer from purchasing from CC, then his approach seems to have a much better batting average than "I'm going to sit in my house like some High and Mighty Crabass doing absolutely nothing."

Ken

+1

[earlywynnfan]

Originally Posted by Bob Lemke

I'm sorry if I haven't been clear enough. I have no plans to do anything to "stop the flow of fakes coming from CC." Why in the world would you assume that responsibility should fall on me?

Hey, Bob, have you ever heard of Ken Sulik?? Nobody else has either. But many, many people have heard of you. You have a blog and have (or at least had) a column regularly published in "The Voice of the Hobby." I'm sure you've gotten years of pleasure and probably some decent financial renumeration from this hobby. Yet when it comes time to make a stand, point out the bad, help out the newbies, you pass the buck!

Who should the responsibility fall on??

Ken

[thetruthisoutthere]

Originally Posted by earlywynnfan

Hey, Bob, have you ever heard of Ken Sulik?? Nobody else has either. But many, many people have heard of you. You have a blog and have (or at least had) a column regularly published in "The Voice of the Hobby." I'm sure you've gotten years of pleasure and probably some decent financial renumeration from this hobby. Yet when it comes time to make a stand, point out the bad, help out the newbies, you pass the buck!

Who should the responsibility fall on??

Ken

+2

[Bob Lemke]

Originally Posted by earlywynnfan

Hey, Bob, have you ever heard of Ken Sulik?? Nobody else has either. But many, many people have heard of you. You have a blog and have (or at least had) a column regularly published in "The Voice of the Hobby." I'm sure you've gotten years of pleasure and probably some decent financial renumeration from this hobby. Yet when it comes time to make a stand, point out the bad, help out the newbies, you pass the buck!

Who should the responsibility fall on??

Ken

I did my time as "hobby crime fighter" when I was editor and publisher, and even a bit later in a special series circa 2003 about counterfeit 1963 Bazookas, '52 Wheaties, etc., being sold on TV and by Sol Creamer and that "Paoutdoorman" (or some such) guy around Harrisburg.

Through the 1980s and early 1990s, I banned dozens of advertisers at a cost of tens of thousands of dollars of ad revenue.

I had the support of the hobby publishing giants who founded Krause Publications, and access to personnel and monetary resources.

Today I am retired, i.e., without such resources or the inclination to "clean up" the hobby. I don't keep up with hobby "dirt," other than reading about it on this and similar forums. I cannot speak intelligently about current crooks and crookedness. That is not how I choose to spend my time in retirement.

I don't owe "the hobby" anything.

Even Batman retired.

[mr2686]

Originally Posted by Bob Lemke

Even Batman retired.

Yes, but he kept his eye on Catwoman!

[slidekellyslide]

Originally Posted by Bob Lemke

I did my time as "hobby crime fighter" when I was editor and publisher, and even a bit later in a special series circa 2003 about counterfeit 1963 Bazookas, '52 Wheaties, etc., being sold on TV and by Sol Creamer and that "Paoutdoorman" (or some such) guy around Harrisburg.

Through the 1980s and early 1990s, I banned dozens of advertisers at a cost of tens of thousands of dollars of ad revenue.

I had the support of the hobby publishing giants who founded Krause Publications, and access to personnel and monetary resources.

Today I am retired, i.e., without such resources or the inclination to "clean up" the hobby. I don't keep up with hobby "dirt," other than reading about it on this and similar forums. I cannot speak intelligently about current crooks and crookedness. That is not how I choose to spend my time in retirement.

I don't owe "the hobby" anything.

Even Batman retired.

Well stated Bob. I'm not sure why the attacks continue on here after you've answered every single question numerous times.

[Big Dave]

+ 10

[David Atkatz]

Originally Posted by slidekellyslide

Well stated Bob. I'm not sure why the attacks continue on here after you've answered every single question numerous times.

Why? How else can Chris and Dick--and now Shelly--protect the hobby?