Maybe we could do a thread "latest accusations" on one of the boards Op 12 jun 2012, om 17:43 heeft Kirby McDaniel het volgende geschreven:
> If you're ever in a jam, here I am > If you're ever up the creek, I'm your geek > Well it's friendship, friendship > Perfect MOPO blendship > When other friendships have been forgot > THEIRS will still be NOT > > > Anyone else need any rhymes. > Or should I just SHUT UP. > > Kirby > > > > > On Jun 12, 2012, at 9:40 AM, John Waldman wrote: > >> That's a very interesting story, Rich. And like you said, no one is >> perfect. So it's best to check up on what's yours and what is owed to you. >> There's only one thing that is fuzzy, Rich...........is Bruce a friend of >> yours or what? >> JW >> >> >> From: Richard Halegua Comic Art <sa...@comic-art.com> >> To: MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU >> Sent: Monday, June 11, 2012 11:46 PM >> Subject: [MOPO] My Consignment to Bruce.. and what I didn't like about it >> >> Okay Folks.. here goes. >> >> Before I put this down, I want everyone here to know some simple things, >> including Bruce. >> >> Bruce is my friend and has been for a very long time. I first met Bruce at >> the 1968 Comic Art con in NYC when I was just 11 years old. We never really >> hung out much then for obvious reasons (I was 11.. hello), but over the >> years we definitely got to know each other and about 1985 when I floated >> back to movie posters and we met again at Cinevent, we became much more >> friendly. I have alot of respect for Bruce and like many people who are my >> friends, I consider them to be my brothers and my sisters. Chances are, if I >> couldn't think of you as someone that close to me, I probably couldn't >> consider you my friend. Bruce is definitely a brother >> >> The story that follows is my personal experience, or I should say, one of my >> experiences as a consignor, because I have a few times consigned to Bruce. >> It is not anyone else's story as I refuse to tell other people's experiences >> behind any anonymity and if I do know anyone with a negative story, they >> just have to tell it themselves. I just pass around gossip like "I know lots >> of people who have bad experiences with Heritage". Sorry.. >> >> That's not my bag. >> >> I'm not telling this story to infuriate Bruce. I'm telling it because I've >> had enough of these accusations back and forth that looks like one dealer >> trying to disparage other dealers. It's silliness, it's a negative to the >> hobby, and MoPo as well as APF is just too full of this bullshit and it has >> to stop. In kind, after I tell this story, if someone wants to tell of some >> negative experienc e you've had buying from me, selling to me or consigning >> etc.. Go for it. I'm a big boy and the truth does not hurt me >> >> my story........... >> >> Back near the end of 2008, I had determined that I wasn't doing well with >> stills in my auctions. It was too bad because I have lots of great great >> stills. So because I was spending lots of money with my friend Bruce, and >> because it was my opinion that he wasn't just doing well with good stuff, >> but that he was kicking ass, I decided to ask Bruce if he would take a >> consignment of stills. He agreed as long as I sent him good stuff. I >> promised it would be a great load of stuff, but I wanted them sold in a >> short period of time so that I could spend the money with him as in 2008 and >> into 2009, I really wasn't doing well enough, and though I can't muzzle my >> collecting habit, I could at least find a way to get it to pay for itself a >> little better at the time. >> >> So I carefully went through my stock and I pulled the best of the best. >> Silent portraits of Valentino, Nita Naldi, Nazimova, Harold Lloyd. >> Scene stills from Wings with Clara Bow, It Happened One Night, Petrified >> Forest. Great images of Jean Harlow, Gable, Clara Bow and even great stuff >> from High Noon, and the Wild Bunch. This was great incredible stuff and only >> the best images. There was absolutely no chaff in this stuff. 492 stills. I >> sent bruce a link to an online gallery of the stills so he could approve >> them before I shipped them also. I got my ducks lined up. >> >> So after I got them prepped and I photographed them all (yeah that's right, >> that's my inventory. I practice what I preach!), I had Anna box them up and >> they were shipped to Bruce on 4-17-2009. >> >> I was spending some money with Bruce in 2009, and fortunately things were >> also getting better, so I sort of forgot about them for a while until I >> realized Bruce hadn't auctioned them yet, so on 7-28 I emailed Bruce if he >> was going to get to them sometime soon. He responded on 8-23 with the >> following email: >> >> Rich >> I have good news and bad news! >> The bad news is that I got so backed up I did nothing with the stills. >> The good news is that I opened them, and I am going to sneak in around 40 of >> them in with my really great single owner collection we are selling 9/3-9/10. >> More good news is that I see that you weren't kidding and there are lots of >> really good ones, and I will get most of them ready for the next still >> auction at the end of September. >> More good news is that I have a good collection of autographed items for a >> special autograph only auction in late September or October which is mostly >> stills, and I will add yours to that. >> The only other bad news is that I likely will have trouble identifying some >> of the stills. I will do all I can (and look at your web page) and then I >> will likely send any back to you with Post-Its on them so you can add the >> titles and return them. >> But bottom line, you sent a shitload of great stills! >> Bruce >> >> So in other words, more than 4 months had gone by and he hadn't even opened >> up my box! I was not pleased because I really hadn't expected my consignment >> to be handled in this way and to make matters worse, he was only going to be >> auctioning less than 10% of my consignment the following month, which was >> not what I had in mind, and not what I recalled discussing with him prior to >> the consignment. However, Bruce is my friend, I understand sometimes work is >> tough, and Bruce did not hear one single complaint from me. Not one gripe. >> >> So he sold what he sold and I got a check for some $300 or $400. I didn't >> keep track of what I was paid, because it had become unimportant to me. I >> was letting Bruce deal with the stills. He did of course pay me for what he >> sold within his stated period of 30 or 45 days etc. Now I will admit that I >> didn't think he got a satisfactory price for my stuff.. But as a long time >> dealer, I completely understand this issue. I did not gripe one bit, and I >> continued letting Bruce sell my stills. >> >> Then in December 2009, he listed a few more stills.. Maybe a dozen. I don't >> recall exactly because.. well.. I trust Bruce. maybe I took the pics of mine >> for an inventory, but not once did I check my visual inventory against >> anything after the first time, largely because I don't have the time and I >> trust Bruce. I did however tell Bruce at the beginnig that if he had any >> trouble with identifications, he should contact me, and clearly from his >> email copied above, he said he would. >> >> well.. he didn't. >> On 12/29/2009 he sold this still from my consignment, for $7.00... >> http://www.emovieposter.com/agallery/archiveitem/619346.html >> the only problem was, he failed to identify the woman in the still as Joan >> Crawford. Had Bruce done so, I suggest this still would have sold for at >> least a little more than $7.00 and possibly quite a bit more. sadly, I >> hadn't looked at his auction until maybe an hour before they ended (I am >> just too busy), which was just too damn late to do anything about. I shook >> my head, told Anna (she is my secretary), took a deep breath and I moved on. >> I never said one word to Bruce about this and this is the first time he will >> have heard anything about it. In other words.. I didn't gripe, I sucked it >> up, and I didn't bitch to anyone on any forum either. I don't have time to >> dwell on stupid shit like this.. I moved on and I continued to let Bruce >> sell the stills, although I don't recall if he did sell any more of them. He >> can probably tell better than I. >> >> Then in January 2010, I sold a great collection, on consignment, that a >> friend had bought and after he pulled out some great stuff, he let me sell >> 98% of the collection. There was great stuff. Lone Ranger 1sh, Bullit, Le >> Mans, Bond stuff, Rio Bravo.. >> here's a list of the results of that auction, or the first part of it at >> least http://www.movieposterbid.com/sales_results/2010_january_27th.htm >> >> Some of you may remember that after that auction, I posted to mopo a message >> titled: Consign Your Posters to MoviePosterBid.com for the best results!! >> (dated apparently Jan 30th) >> >> Well, Bruce got into a little tete-a-tete with me, very friendly on both >> sides. There was no animous, but he was trying to point out that you would >> do better consigning to him, and I was arguing that MPB would be just as >> good, depending on what you're looking for etc. At some point, Bruce >> commented that (and this is not a direct quote. I'm at the warehouse, >> supposed to be working, and I do not have a complete email archive here) he >> was the fastest road to auction, and that he always sold his cosnignments >> within a short period of time. I think he even projected a specific time >> frame, but again, my archive isn't here. >> >> Of course, I disputed Bruce's claim with my own experience, and no one >> else's. Bruce got a little angry at me, and shot me an email back privately >> that he would be returning that consignment. I didn't ask him to do so and I >> wasn't planning to, but honestly, I was glad he did. Mostly because at the >> speed they were being sold, he might still have some of them today. >> >> I did consign something to him since, so obviously it didn't color my >> feelings about consigning to him, and I still would if I thought he could >> help me. Of course, being my own auction, I really don't have that need. >> >> Anyway.. fast forward to sometime in either 2010 or 2011. I can't find teh >> exact item because it's difficult finding a Gene Autry autographed still in >> Bruce's archive and again, I'm not at my main archive either, but Bruce was >> selling this Gene Autry autographed still that was in my consignment to >> Bruce. Because I had never done an inventory check when the stills were >> returned, because I 100% trust Bruce, I couldn't tell you if I got >> everything back or not, or if I was properly paid. I trust Bruce took care >> of my correctly. >> >> Anyway, and Bruce should recall this well, the description in the still >> listing had noted that this still was from a longtime collector who had >> personally gotten this selection of stills Bruce had listed and personally >> had each star autograph them back in the 1950s and 1960s. Well I knew this >> still, and I knew that was incorrect, so I let Bruce know that I believed >> the consignor was lying to him, because Bruce had gotten this still in my >> consignment, and presumably had sold it and so the consignor could not have >> had the still signed in the 1950s. I didn't realize what Bruce was going to >> tell me after he did his research. >> >> what did Bruce find out? >> He found out that this still was from my consignment. He had neither sold it >> nor returned it to me, and it was incorrectly placed in this other guy's >> consignment. He thanked me for pointing it out. He correctly apologized to >> me for screwing up, changed the description and a month or so later, I got >> my check. >> >> Did any of you ever hear me tell this story before?? I know the answer... NO >> What would have been the purpose to do so? I was not then and I am not now >> trying to embarrass my friend. The story is only being told now because >> after everything that has gone in, not just concerning Bruce v Heritage over >> the last few years, but particularly with Geraldine's story within which >> Bruce has very clearly aligned himself with Geraldine indicating that >> Heritage makes lots of mistakes, I have to point out that with just this one >> consignment, Bruce made numerous mistakes, including misplacing part of my >> consignment with someone else's!!!! By the way.. I did not gripe to Bruce >> about it. Not one bit. >> >> Simply said, my consignment of stills was handled poorly at every juncture, >> but I have only once even alluded to it publicly, which was here on MoPo in >> a single email in a single statement. I do not as a matter of course try to >> damage my competitors. I have never felt it was necessary. If my competitor >> does a poor job, they will go out of business all on their own and then I >> will benefit maybe. But I get no benefit by continually beating on my >> competitor's reputation and I wouldn't do that to Bruce anyway, just as I >> would never do it to Heritage. >> >> One of my best friends got into a very heated argument with me on what he >> considered me taking it easy on Heritage. Hey, I"m not taking it easy on >> anyone. I deal with facts and in Geraldine's case, I don't jhave enough FACT >> to say Heritage got posters they say they did not. I didn't believe my >> parents when they would say "you have to believe me because I say so" and >> I'm certaionly not going to agree with Geraldine under the same >> circumstances. I'll make up my own mind thank you. >> >> No one I know is perfect. Not Grey Smith, not Geraldine Kudaka, not Bruce >> and certainly not myself. >> >> This overly long post is only to add some reflection and pragmatism to that >> idea. >> >> and now that that is done, I hope MoPo can stop being a battlefield between >> us and we can all live together peacefully, as we should, without people >> attacking each other. Geraldine has an issue with Heritage. I suggest >> Geraldine you let your attorney handle it with Heritage's attorney, so we >> can stop listening to it, and alot of other stuff.. >> >> Rich >> >> PS: I think everyone should consign posters to Bruce when appropriate, to >> Grey Smith when appropriate, to Sean when appropriate and to myself as well. >> They are all honest (including myself) and I'm positive that none of the >> people mentioned wold intentially hurt anyone >> >> Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com >> ___________________________________________________________________ >> How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List >> Send a message addressed to: >> lists...@listserv.american.edu >> 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: lists...@listserv.american.edu >> 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: lists...@listserv.american.edu > 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: lists...@listserv.american.edu In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content.
