Titanic Artifacts sold

Michael H. Standart

Michael H. Standart

Member
I caught this story yesterday albit from a different source and posted it in the Museum News thread I have going. The only question which comes to mind is:

"What were they thinking?"

Another question: What are the chances of any of these artifacts and documents being recovered?
 
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Tarn Stephanos

Member
I'm not sure this has been addressed on ET, but there is news that the former chief archivist for The Mariners' Museum stole $160,000 worth of museum property and sold it on eBay, among them rare Titanic items.
The archivist and his wife worked as a thieving team, and he had his first appearance in federal court Tuesday....

(ps-To any moderators, i wasn't sure where I should post this, so feel free to relocate this thread if needed)


regards

Tarn Stephanos
 
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Tarn Stephanos

Member
Apparently much of the Frank Aks collection was stolen, including the scarf that Mrs Astor gave Frank's mum to cover him on that cold night- a number of original Titanic photos were also stolen....
Ebay seemed to be the main way of reselling their stolen items..
I'm left to wonder if any ET regulars who frequent Ebay unwittingly purchased any stolen property..
 
Michael H. Standart

Michael H. Standart

Member
Tarn, on the off chance that your posts were relocated here from somewhere else, see the story posted by Bill Willard above. If the suspects in this are in fact guilty, I hope they both get hammered!
 
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Tarn Stephanos

Member
Hi Michael
I wasn't sure where to post, but luckily someone plugged my message here.
This duo will no doubt face multiple felony charges- plus they destroyed the reputation of a great museum overnight, and after this, people may think twice about ever donating to that museum again...
If proven guilty, I hope they do hard time, but suspect they'll be fined and serve less than 2 years in a country club prison....If violent repeat criminals can be set free after serving absurdly short jail sentences, I'm sure this duo won't see much time in jail.. What strikes me is not so much the boldness and callousness of the campaign of theft- but to sell documented museum objects on a public forum like Ebay? How stupid can these people be??
I read in the article the couple are lamenting they are bankrupt and have nothing.I'm sure they'll claim they had unhappy childhoods as a defense, and blame others for their crimes...My reaction to that is boo-hoo hoo...I hope the museum can file personal lawsuits against these two and own their butts....
 
Michael H. Standart

Michael H. Standart

Member
>>but to sell documented museum objects on a public forum like Ebay? How stupid can these people be?? <<

Stupid enough to get caught. If I was going to try and fence stolen goods of well known and documented provanance, I sure as hell wouldn't have done it on eBay.

>>I read in the article the couple are lamenting they are bankrupt and have nothing<<

Well now, if they had been straight shooters...assuming they're guilty...they would still have their jobs and an income.
 
Jason D. Tiller

Jason D. Tiller

Staff member
Moderator
Member
I'm saddened and disappointed to hear this. I hope these people get the book thrown at them! If there is any chance that these items can be recovered, I sure hope it happens.
 
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Tarn Stephanos

Member
I'm left to wonder what percentage of objects sold on Ebay are 'hot'...
I wonder if Ebay will be fined for allowing the sale of stolen property-Perhaps Ebay will file their own charges against this couple as well- At the very least, I'm sure their Ebay account will be closed..
 
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Jason Schleisman

Member
I'm sure that various 'hot' items are unfortunately sold on eBay all the time.
 
Michael H. Standart

Michael H. Standart

Member
>>I'm left to wonder what percentage of objects sold on Ebay are 'hot'... <<

No way of knowing, but that's what makes it important to check things out. If it's too good to be true, it probably is. As I always say, caveat emptor.
 
L

lewis orchard

Member
I am pleased to see the profile of this problem being raised. I am sure no one would have thought that these two individuals might be responsible. That is why it is important to keep an open mind and check the provenance of items bought on Ebay or elsewhere. That is how theft is identified.

For example, the item below was checked against the photocopy record of a fragile and unique book of original press cuttings, that had belonged to Lady Duff Gordon and is owned by a Special Collections library in New York.

You will see various marks, creases, tears and particularly two diagonal pencil marks at the top right corner on both images. The museum then checked the original source to discover that the item had been torn out and had disappeared. It has since been returned. One edge had been cut down, and damaged by tape and the sellers handwriting on the back. You will also notice that there is a torn edge on the left hand side of the news cutting, that does not appear in the image on the left. The matching remainder of this edge was left behind in the original book providing a chilling perfect match.

Ben 4
 
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David Paris

Member
Surely Ebay must take some responsibility for not moderating what is sold on their site. From the tone of the article and messages posted here this isn't the first time something like this has happened.
 
Michael H. Standart

Michael H. Standart

Member
>>Surely Ebay must take some responsibility for not moderating what is sold on their site.<<

In fairness to EBay, they try. The problem is that it's an on line venue for literally tens of thousands of auctions at any given time. No matter how hard they try, they can't even begin to monitor them all. That's why it's always good counsel to be very careful about what you bid on.
 
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