How about some answers for this? Where are you Peter Nash?

[travrosty]

I am of the opinion that the hof and nypl value 20k to 50k autographs enough to want them back. i also believe they dont want the publicity that goes along with admitting that these items slipped through their fingers, especially since new donors would want to be assured that their donated items actually stay in the museum or library.

So that is the reason why they dont go after them in my opinion. There is a price to pay in the form of bad publicity that they dont want to pay. Otherwise it wouldn't cost them anything to just admit they aren't interested in getting the items back, but they don't admit that. You can't get a statement out of them and that is per their damage control plan of defense.

[slidekellyslide]

Originally Posted by travrosty

I am of the opinion that the hof and nypl value 20k to 50k autographs enough to want them back. i also believe they dont want the publicity that goes along with admitting that these items slipped through their fingers, especially since new donors would want to be assured that their donated items actually stay in the museum or library.

So that is the reason why they dont go after them in my opinion. There is a price to pay in the form of bad publicity that they dont want to pay. Otherwise it wouldn't cost them anything to just admit they aren't interested in getting the items back, but they don't admit that. You can't get a statement out of them and that is per their damage control plan of defense.

Bad publicity is probably a part of it, but these thefts happened a long time ago and it would be easy for them to say the procedures for looking at this stuff have changed and what happened then can never happen again. It wouldn't be too hard to reassure a potential donor that his items are safer than Burdick's were 20+ years ago...or that the Spalding collection is untouchable, "here are the scans you asked for."

I truly believe it's much more of a money, lawyer, hassle issue for items they do not value the same way we do. They don't have to pay a dime for the FBI to do their job and if they get them back, they'll take them, but they obviously aren't going to use any of their own resources to do it.

[shelly]

Gee, it really does sound like a novel. Someone should write it an expose on the librarys and the HOF.

[drcy]

Along the lines of what Travis said, I've heard where art galleries don't like to let it to become public that something was stolen, because it might make other hesitant to consign.

[Big Dave]

Personally, I believe Leon did a good job by posting this. With over 4400+ views, it has brought a lot of attention to Mr. Nash and his website, and thus, a lot more people reading it.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by Big Dave

Personally, I believe Leon did a good job by posting this. With over 4400+ views, it has brought a lot of attention to Mr. Nash and his website, and thus, a lot more people reading it.

And hopefully it will expose him as one of, if not the, biggest fraudsters in the history of our hobby. Him going after bad things is great but he should probably be doing it from a jail cell. In my opinion he is much worse than anything he has exposed. I think some of the people holding fraudulent 19th century memorabilia, which allegedly has no provenance before him, would agree. And for your reading pleasure another case below...I wish I had another episode, the audio court proceedings of Nash getting severely reprimanded by a judge. One of the most unusual things I have heard and quite entertaining. It made these court documents look tame.

[shelly]

Leon, did they ever arrest him?

[baseballart]

Originally Posted by travrosty

I am of the opinion that the hof and nypl value 20k to 50k autographs enough to want them back. i also believe they dont want the publicity that goes along with admitting that these items slipped through their fingers, especially since new donors would want to be assured that their donated items actually stay in the museum or library.

So that is the reason why they dont go after them in my opinion. There is a price to pay in the form of bad publicity that they dont want to pay. Otherwise it wouldn't cost them anything to just admit they aren't interested in getting the items back, but they don't admit that. You can't get a statement out of them and that is per their damage control plan of defense.

Travis

I can only comment on my own experience with the NYPL. When I saw an item years back on ebay with a "NYPL" stamp, I was concerned that it was unlawfully removed from the NYPL. I contacted counsel at the NYPL. He replied to me and indicated that the NYPL had reviewed its records and that the item had been indeed deaccessioned by the library, but somehow the proper stampings had not been entered in the book. As such, that particular item was not stolen from the NYPL.

He also added that if I came across other items where provenance was questioned, I could contact them again. I did not get the impression that things were "swept under the rug". It was quite the contrary and that he was indeed interested in being advised of items that had been taken unlawfully from the library.

Max

[travrosty]

thank you for relaying your experience. it's always good to hear all sides.

[earlywynnfan]

Originally Posted by travrosty

thank you for relaying your experience. it's always good to hear all sides.

This quote made me laugh out loud. You mean "It's good to hear all sides, unless it's one of my friends. Then you have an agenda and you're all going down." Right?

[D. Bergin]

Originally Posted by baseballart

Travis

I can only comment on my own experience with the NYPL. When I saw an item years back on ebay with a "NYPL" stamp, I was concerned that it was unlawfully removed from the NYPL. I contacted counsel at the NYPL. He replied to me and indicated that the NYPL had reviewed its records and that the item had been indeed deaccessioned by the library, but somehow the proper stampings had not been entered in the book. As such, that particular item was not stolen from the NYPL.

He also added that if I came across other items where provenance was questioned, I could contact them again. I did not get the impression that things were "swept under the rug". It was quite the contrary and that he was indeed interested in being advised of items that had been taken unlawfully from the library.

Max

........but, but, but........David said that never happens. All libraries clearly place deaccession stamps on all items that lawfully leave their possession.

[David Atkatz]

Originally Posted by D. Bergin

........but, but, but........David said that never happens. All libraries clearly place deaccession stamps on all items that lawfully leave their possession.

I'm not talking about a book from some branch library of the NYPL. I'm talking about artifacts cared for by professional, trained, librarians/curators at the main branch--Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street--the finest research library in the country.