Sotherby's Lou Gehrig Day - 1999 - Barry Halper

[Snapolit1]

Wow! I wasn't expecting things to go in that direction . . . .

[rjackson44]

Here ya go

[Fred]

Steve,

Look in fleabay and search "Halper". You can find the catalogs for sale. It's much more fun to look at hard copies than to pick through web pages. The catalogs are pretty nice.

Ok, in a collection this size, there's bound to be stuff that may not be what we want (complete authentic with provenance) but a majority of the stuff in the catalog was legit.

It was really amazing to see one person with SO MUCH STUFF! I'm guessing if the auction were 20 years later, the prices realized would be much more.

[G1911]

A lot of it was fake. Including items he said he personally acquired. Some of the items that weren’t provably fake turned out to be stolen from the libraries and archives. From jerseys to autographs to hair to ball player firearms to knickerbocker baseballs, a whole lot of his collection has turned out to be phony or not what it was purported to be. He even lied about playing for Jimmie Foxx in the 50’s. Between the fakes, the stolen items and Halper’s frequent falsehoods, it’s hard to take items from his collection as a positive provenance.

[BobC]

IIRC, weren't there also supposedly stolen items included in the collection that were eventually sold as well, with some of those stolen items thought to come from another well-known hobby name who was caught stealing items from the NY Public Library at one time?

Leopards don't typically ever change their spots. I've often wondered why people still look up to some of these earlier hobby names that were eventually shown/proven to be not so ethical.

[BobC]

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[Bigdaddy]

Originally Posted by BobC

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This has to be the record for the shortest post by BobC in Net54 history. Quoted now for posterity.

[Snapolit1]

Thanks. I guess I've heard his name a few times and now that I think of it there was some scandal or 2 or 3 attached to it.

I was hoping to start a thread about positive memories of a great auction. Sure doesn't look like it's going in that direction. For those who have been around for over 20 years, sure this subject has been covered extensively if not ad naseum.

[packs]

Is there any truth to the rumor that Halper would invite someone over to his house, leave some "valuable" baseball cards out, excuse himself and watch from another room to see if the person stole his stuff?

[BobC]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

Thanks. I guess I've heard his name a few times and now that I think of it there was some scandal or 2 or 3 attached to it.

I was hoping to start a thread about positive memories of a great auction. Sure doesn't look like it's going in that direction. For those who have been around for over 20 years, sure this subject has been covered extensively if not ad naseum.

Steve,

There were many great and fantastic items in that auction, and in Halper's overall collection. It later came out there were also many fraudulent and supposedly stolen items in the collection as well. Personally, I don't know enough about which items were or were not tainted that may have been included in the particular auction you're talking about. So, speaking just for myself, I'd hate to comment on any particular item and laud it and its history, only to find out another member with more knowledge and a better memory corrects me by chiming in about how this or that particular item ended up being fraudulent or proven to have been stolen. It is obvious that Halper had a fantastic eye and great knowledge when it came to these items and memorabilia in his fantastic collection. But then it also begs the question, was Halper possibly that ignorant that he was totally unaware of all the supposedly fake/fraudulent and stolen items he had, or was he just being quiet? I never personally knew, nor ever even met, Barry Halper, but from what I've heard and read about him from others, he sure didn't seem to be or ever come across as someone that was in any way ignorant when it came to this hobby, and especially in regard to the items in his collection.

Not necessarily a bad idea for a thread, and wouldn't mind looking back through such a catalog myself. But just know that there may be a taint to the auction/collection. My apologies for mentioning it myself. Wasn't trying to kill your thread, just being honest based on what I've heard/seen. He still probably amassed one of, if not the most, famous, significant, and important memorabilia collections ever put together, even though some items in it may have been fake or tainted. As someone else already mentioned, for many of us with large collections, the chances of us unknowingly having some fake and/or altered/doctored items in our collections is probably much greater than any of us would want to believe. And as for items that may have been stolen from someone else at one time before we ended up acquiring them, that chance is probably more than any of us would like it to be also. Sadly, it is part of the hobby we can't totally get away from.

[Jewish-collector]

Steve - You know better than to start a controversial thread.