Judge Sentences eBay Entertainment Memorabilia Dealer to over 8 years in Federal Prison and Orders to Pay Nearly $175,000 in Restitution to Victims

As reported on last year (see “eBay Entertainment Memorabilia Dealer Pleads Guilty to Fraud Charges in U.S. District Court“), eBay entertainment memorabilia dealer David Bruce Shyrock plead guilty to fraud charges in federal after defrauding over 1,200 eBay users out of nearly $175,000 by selling memorabilia with forged autographs on the popular online auction website.  Today, the Joplin, Missouri man was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Richard E. Dorr to eight years and four months in federal prison without parole.  The court also ordered Shyrock to pay $174,894 in restitution to his victims.  Read more

The Original Prop Blog 2011 Year in Review: News, Developments, and Trends in Collecting Original TV & Movie Props, Costumes and Pop Culture Memorabilia

As was the case in previous years (see 2007 Year in Review, 2008 Year in Review, 2009 Year in Review, 2010 Year in Review), what follows is an editorial featuring my personal observations and opinions with regards to the business of buying, collecting, selling, preserving original pop culture artifacts – looking back at the top trends, developments, and news stories of 2011. As is always the case, this is a completely subjective exercise, and merely touches on the developments and events that relate to the hobby. Read more

FBI Press Release: “Three Men Plead Guilty to Fraud Involving Sports Memorabilia”

As reported by various mainstream media outlets this week (New York Daily News original report, NY Daily News follow-up, Forbes, WREX-13), several memorabilia dealers plead guilty this week to fraud charges related to the sale of “game worn” sports jerseys.  Sentencing is scheduled for May 2012, and each maul fraud charge has a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and $250,000 fines.  Though a different class of memorabilia from television and film, it is always encouraging to see the FBI direct attention to any sort of memorabilia fraud, as it is very prevalent in all collecting areas. Read more

eBay Entertainment Memorabilia Dealer Pleads Guilty to Fraud Charges in U.S. District Court

Per Reuters and other sources, eBay entertainment memorabilia dealer David Bruce Shyrock plead guilty to fraud charges in federal court today.  The Missouri resident faces up to 30 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $500,000 for a variety of charges, including defrauding over 1,200 eBay users out of nearly $175,000 by selling memorabilia with forged autographs on the popular online auction website. Read more

Prop Talk Podcast #014 – Laura Woolley, The Collector’s Lab | Interview by The Original Prop Blog with Jason DeBord

Laura Woolley, special guest. This is the fourteenth ‘Prop Talk’ podcast by the Original Prop Blog. Ms. Laura Woolley is President of The Collector’s Lab, which provides “individualized, high-level professional and appraisal services to private collectors, institutions, insurance companies, museums, and wealth management professionals”.  Ms. Woolley has extensive experience working for and with the premiere auction houses operating in the entertainment memorabilia field, and also serves as an appraiser to the Antiques Roadshow.  Ms. Woolley is a Certified member of the Appraiser’s Association of America and has completed the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) examination.

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Vintage Poster Scandal Update: Atlanta Journal-Constitution Reports NY Federal Prosecutors Seek New Arrest Warrant

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution today published an update to one of several scandals that rocked the collectible poster collecting field in 2009 and 2010.  The news report states that “Federal prosecutors in New York are asking a judge to jail a Georgia man who is accused of selling fake vintage horror movie posters over the Internet”. Read more

Alteration of Historic Lincoln Document in National Archives Highlights Issues Related to Manipulation of Genuine Assets and Authentication

Earlier this year, a story broke about the discovery that a genuine document produced by Abraham Lincoln had been altered in order to make it more historically significant.  While the identification and preservation of historic documents is outside the scope of the same in the entertainment/popular culture memorabilia field, the story is instructive none the less, and highlights the ease with which genuine material can be altered to make it more important and valuable. Read more

Jalopnik Challenges Authenticity of “JFK Ambulance”; Barrett-Jackson Sells Vehicle for $132,000 at Auction

While not about original props and costumes from movies or television, this story is of interest in that it involves a public auction and public challenges over the authenticity of a high value item offered for sale – an ambulance said to have carried the body of President John F. Kennedy following his assassination in 1963 (Barrett-Jackson Lot: 1277 – 1963 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE AMBULANCE).  Read more

The Original Prop Blog 2010 Year in Review: News, Developments, and Trends in Collecting Original Movie Props and Memorabilia

As was the case in previous years (see 2007 Year in Review, 2008 Year in Review, 2009 Year in Review), what follows is an editorial featuring my personal observations with regards to the hobby – looking back at the top trends, developments, and news stories of 2010. As is always the case, this is a completely subjective exercise, and merely touches on the developments and events that relate to the hobby.  Read more

New York Daily News Coverage Updates Ongoing FBI Sports Memorabilia Fraud Investigation

New York Daily News sports writer Michael O’Keefe has been publishing an ongoing series of articles about an FBI investigation into the sports memorabilia industry (see Mastro Auctions Closes In Midst Of FBI Investigation Into Shill Bidding & Fraud Allegations).  Two updates have been published this week by the Daily News. Read more

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