Re: [MOPO] WSJ: Article references Heritage, movie collector Stephen Fishler

[Sean Linkenback]

JR, Once again did you read the complete article before you fired off your hastily written response? (reminds me of your recent ‘valuable’ vs. ‘available’ flub or any of your other ill-timed conclusions.)   Do you realize how large a collection 12,000+ comics is?  While it is doubtful they were stored in comic boxes, that would be over 40 long-comic boxes full of comics weighing nearly 2,000 lbs and if you stacked them to 1 meter in height, it would still be 4 meters long and another meter in depth.  You don’t think someone could carefully remove a few comics a day from this accumulation (one of many such accumulations stored in the basement) without someone realizing it?  If you had a pile of 12,000 folded posters I feel confident that I could slowly remove a bunch without you ever realizing it – especially if it was a collection that you stopped adding to 25 years ago and didn’t routinely run an inventory of (and why should you, it was safely stacked up in the basement).  It wasn’t a sudden loss of 1,000 comics, it was small stacks taken and sold for nearly a year – much more difficult to detect.   The fact that one of the pre-eminent dealers in the hobby gave the name of who he purchased comics from, and the name just then happens to be the name of someone who did work on the house at the time of the books disappearance doesn’t strike you as odd?  Especially when this same person now denies any knowledge of the comics themselves?     I wonder if the IRS might have an interest in the amount of money Fishler was paying the contractor and whether or not it was reported on his taxes?     From: MoPo List [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of JR Sent: Saturday, August 05, 2006 5:08 PM To: MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU Subject: Re: [MOPO] WSJ: Article references Heritage, movie collector Stephen Fishler   I don't see what the "mystery" is... the original owner of the comics, Davis Crippen, didn't die until 2005. While it's possible that someone was able to get into his house and remove several thousand comics with his knowing it, it's not really likely -- Davis would have only been about 60 at the time and still active and in command of his faculties. It's hard to believe an obsessive collector like this wouldn't have noticed thousands of comics suddenly going missing from his life-long collection. It seems much more likely that Davis himself started selling some of them to raise money, probably to pay medical bills, and simply didn't tell his family about it. He apparently got a younger man to act as his agent  It's obvious that the heir, Tom, didn't care much or pay much attention to his Father's collection until after he was dead and so there was no particular reason for his father to tell him when he started selling off some of his own property. It didn't become his son's or window's property until Davis Crippen died.   I think this "mystery" is being trumped up to build interest in the forthcoming auctions.   -- JR Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com ___________________________________________________________________ How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content. Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com ___________________________________________________________________ How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content.