Ex Barry Halper Collection Items

[benjulmag]

Originally Posted by ThomasL

I am curious how other collectors in the know treat ex-Halper collection items, since he was a known forger of items but obviously not everything he had...

I ask bc I see a few ex Halper items listed on REA that I firmly believe are fakes

I knew Barry Halper. I had been to his house to see his collection, and I did a number of transactions with him. Based on my conversations with him, I do not believe he was a forger. Yes, many of his items turned out to be counterfeit. But I sincerely believe that is because he himself was duped (as too, BTW, were the authenticators who opined on his items before they were sold at the Sotheby's auction).

For example, it was well-known Barry kept his jerseys in a "cleaners-rack-sort-of-device" that at the press of a button would rotate the rack so as to allow one to access any desired jersey. Almost all the jerseys looked pristine, as if they had been purchased yesterday directly off the rack at a sporting goods store. Barry had purchased the great majority years earlier from an individual with alleged strong ties to former ballplayers. I remember asking Barry how he was confident the jerseys he was purchasing were real. Barry told me he too once asked that question of this source, who responded to the effect that he was offended that his character was being questioned, and that if he was ever asked that question again, he would never again sell Barry another jersey. After Barry gave me this answer, I asked him what he did next. Barry's response, "I never again asked him where he got the jerseys."

The point is that Barry was naive and not as knowledgable in the history of the items he owned that he simply lacked the sophistication to question authenticity. And, as years went by and his collection and its reputation grew, Barry's ego became so tied up in being known as the owner of the most famous collection extant, a collection that receive publicized visits by many baseball luminaries, that he could not allow himself to believe so many of the items were forgeries.