Very interesting read, and sad....

[JP]

Originally Posted by Rob D.

For those scoring at home, Jeff's the one who doesn't have anything consigned in REA's current auction.

You're confused as to which is the cause and which is the effect. I consign to Rob because he is morally superior to almost everyone in this hobby. He is not morally superior to most in this hobby because I consign to him...

[t210scouts]

I'm not a big poster in any forum but reports like this do not surprise me. I've been on the receiving end of several journalism attacks and have found that each time the majority of the journalists do NOT do research. They simply interview individuals and take their word on the accuracy. Now to their defense they do have an editor who makes the final decision and they can make the story have a slant. However with this being a website I assume its an individual's side of the story.
Seeing questionable items in an auction is nothing new. As a collector of other items it is not all that uncommon to see items that have possible been stolen. The best defense against this is knowledge. Several times a year I see documents and letters on Ebay and other well know auctions houses that exhibit the same type of docketing and notations that I see regularly on documents found in the National Archives. If you visit these types of institutions you'll know how items are marked by the various archives and thus be armed with the knowledge to know if there is a possibility of the item being stolen.
I've never bid or won an auction from REA but I believe they performed the correct action by removing the item from the auction until the matter can be settled.
What I would be concerned about is how these items were stolen. Remember Sandy Berger a former national security advisor under President Clinton stole documents from the National Archives in College Park, MD. Knowledge is power and it your initial reaction is that an item is from a questionable origin then you are probably correct.

[JP]

I'm extremely cynical and critical of people within the hobby after being burnt on numerous occasions by nefarious characters, and have yet to recover any restitution. Yes, I'm consigned with REA. But my opinion of Rob and REA would be the same whether or not I had anything consigned. Nash has zero credibility, and considering the overwhelming evidence against him, I wouldn't be surprised to see REA do something in response to this article.

[J.McMurry]

As a side note, I only found this web site/article because it's listed on the FaceBook page of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

My comment was not really aimed at any particular Auction House, but to those jackasses who stole the items in question.

[JP]

There is a special place in hell for people who destroy or steal priceless historical pieces...I couldn't agree more.

[Rich Klein]

This is the webisite I was going to email you the link to. Don't need to do that now

Rich

[calvindog]

I just received an email from Rob; I wish I could post the pdf of his lawyer's response to Nash's article -- it's pretty funny reading. Suffice it to say that there is presently a warrant out for Nash's arrest in connection with his litigation with Rob -- which may explain why Nash has no concern about posting anything about Rob, no matter how false it may be. (I mean what could happen to him -- he'd get arrested?)

[slidekellyslide]

Originally Posted by calvindog

I just received an email from Rob; I wish I could post the pdf of his lawyer's response to Nash's article -- it's pretty funny reading. Suffice it to say that there is presently a warrant out for Nash's arrest in connection with his litigation with Rob -- which may explain why Nash has no concern about posting anything about Rob, no matter how false it may be. (I mean what could happen to him -- he'd get arrested?)

Aside from this guy being a dirtbag and throwing in irrelevant comments about Rob I'm guessing that doesn't change the fact that this item was stolen from the Hall of Fame. Rob has already done the right thing and removed the item...the Hall of Fame will get it back and hopefully the proper authorities find out who stole the photo. I've not seen the facebook posting on the Hall of Fame's site, but for those not familiar with facebook, anyone can post a link on the Hall of Fame's site...this "blog" link was probably posted by the Vanilla Ice wannabe.

[bigtrain]

There is a lengthy article on SI.com from December 9, 2009 regarding Mr. Nash, his financial troubles and litigation with Rob Lifson. Apparently, Rob obtained a $760,000 a judgment against him with a balance in excess of $250,000, has an attachment against all his income from the Boston sports bar he owns and a mortgage on his lakefront home in Cooperstown. There is a warrant for his arrest out of New Jersey related to the Lifson suit. Also, Nash signed a court order in which he admitted to fraud. I have a summer home near Cooperstown, just up the road from Mr. Nash's property, so I have heard a lot about Mr. Nash over the years. The property has been in and out of foreclosure and appears abandoned. There has been a car parked in the driveway that hasn't been moved in the five years I have been there.

(Sorry, I tried to post a link but having trouble with it. The article is titled: From Rapper to Baseball Collector, the Wild Tale of Peter Nash)

[painthistorian]

If there is anything that should be noted about this, REA has already pulled this item. The sponsor of that website is Mr. Nash. It happens to be a very interesting website anyway! He is subject to arrest from the legal battle that ensued between himself & REA and for that reason, this is the basis for the attempted vendetta. The actual warrant is documented and is in effect, I surmise Mr. Nash cannot be happy about this and is trying to hurt Robert any way he can.

[Browncow75]

"Morally superior"? Now THERE are 2 words that are not often found together with the world of high end "investment" cards these days!

[danc]

"Hey yo Pete Nice rip the mic and go for yours". We are being a little harsh on the MC, music wise. 3rd Bass was great when it first came out and comparing it to that wankster Vanilla Ice is insulting to the brief career of a pioneering group who had two Gold Records and played Woodstock. They were a trio from my youth, perhaps outdated today in this Lil Wayne world. Putting that aside, this is all sad as this is a person who has obvious passion for what we all love and enjoy. It's also sad that the new vogue thing is to start a blog after being attacked, not for the sake of assisting collectors or helping them, but to go on the counter-attack with a genre. The autograph hobby has several of those. That is just plain whack.

DanC

[wonkaticket]

I guess Elroy Cohen isn't the only one who gets the gas face looks like Pete "Nice" Nash does as well...LOL

Kick em the grill Rob!

[David R]

Mr. Nash certainly seems to be a bad apple with a motive to publish bad things about REA. That being said, it seems troubling to me that the big red "BOB" and the nature of the paper loss on the back of that very rare piece did not raise red flags with either SGC (who slabbed it) or REA (that put the piece in their auction). I am fairly new to collecting vintage so I was unfamiliar with the Hall of Fame's practice of placing a red "PD" on the back of pieces like this, but it seems fairly well known to some other collectors and I would think folks like SGC and REA would know such things? Is that too much to expect?