Movie Prop Collecting with Jason DeBord's Original Prop Blog Film & TV Prop, Costume, Hollywood Memorablia Pop Culture Resource

Thoughts on Los Angeles Times “Global Antiques” Feature

By

I wanted to share some thoughts and reactions to this week’s feature in the Los Angeles Times about the “Global Antiques” auctions on eBay.  Overall, I am very pleased to see the issue presented to a huge audience, and I think the reporter, Ms. Ryan, did an excellent job of giving voice and perspective to a wide array of principals and relevant third parties.  My interest is to look at each of those contributions and responses (or lack thereof) to determine outstanding questions.

Authenticator/Consignor: Greg Jones, Global Antiques

Per the article Greg Jones, identified as the “curator” of Global Antiques on the Certificates of Authenticity, and portrayed as authenticator and consignor by the eBay sellers Auction Depot LA, Auction Shop USA, and Historic Souvenirs, did not return calls to the Los Angeles Times.

The article states that a lawyer representing Jones wrote one of the collector-experts a letter to stop the “overwrought and relentless campaign to discredit and damage” Global Antiques.

So with all of the specific questions raised about the authenticity of a large number of pieces sold on eBay as authentic movie, television, and historical memorabilia, the person responsible for authenticating them and certifying them as original and authentic has had no substantive response.

eBay Seller/Consignee: Auction Depot LA, Auction Shop USA, Historic Souvenirs

Per the article, Auction Depot LA (presumably the same company behind Historic Souvenirs) and Auction Shop USA did not return calls to the Los Angeles Times.

Again, the parties involved with selling this merchandise have no substantive response or accounting of their activities.

Auction Service: eBay

eBay, the company that hosted these auctions and transactions, did not contribute to the Times investigation, citing its own privacy policies as the reason.

So in essence, the consignor, authenticator, consignee, eBay sellers, and eBay itself – every party on the selling side of this issue – have nothing to say and have not contributed to the Times investigation, per the article.

Victim: Debbie Nickerson

Debbie Nickerson has posted here on the OPB and participated in the Los Angeles Times investigation.  Ms. Nickerson claims to have purchased $15,000 worth of Global Antiques merchandise, sadly noting “it’s like pulling teeth to get anyone to do anything.”

Expert/Auction House: Darren Julien, Julien’s Auctions

Closing the article, Mr. Julien’s contribution is that collectors buying pieces below five figures are the ones who “get burnt”, which I personally would not agree with, in that I am aware of a number of instances in which high end collectors have purchased inauthentic props/costumes.  However, he does indicate one of his customers spent $6,000 on Global Antiques pieces.

Expert/Collector: James Tumblin

James Tumblin, owner/caretaker of the largest collection of Gone With the Wind memorabilia, is quoted as characterizing the Global Antiques merchandise as “[t]he most obvious fakes I’d ever seen”.

Experts/Collectors: Bryce & Jennifer Henderson

The Henderson’s were proactive in trying to share information and resources with collectors.  What they did was technically in violation of eBay policy – Transaction Interference:

Transaction Interference

  • Members are not allowed to interfere with another member’s transaction.
  • Members may not contact a seller and offer to purchase a listed item outside of eBay.
  • Members are not permitted to email buyers in an open or completed transaction to warn them away from a seller or item. If you have a problem with a transaction, please use the feedback forum and review our Fraud Protection Program.

Violations of this policy may result in a range of actions, including:

  • Listing cancellation
  • Limits on account privileges
  • Account suspension
  • Forfeit of eBay fees on cancelled listings
  • Loss of PowerSeller status

Law Enforcement: Craig Butterworth, National White Collar Crime Center (IC3)

Interestingly, Mr. Butterworth with IC3 seems supportive of the notion of collectors identifying issues and networking amongst one another, stating “the posse mentality can take care of these situations faster than the host can”.  This is interesting, in that what he supports is, as noted, a violation of eBay policy.

With such auctions going unnoticed by eBay, and with a policy against such actions on the part of collectors, one could conclude that the Global Antiques pieces might have continued to be offered on eBay today if not for the Henderson’s trying to communicate with buyers as a third party.

Law Enforcement: Detective Alex Moreno, LAPD Computer Crimes Unit

Detective Moreno also appears to encourage victims and third parties to work together to assemble facts to help the police demonstrate a “pattern of conduct”.  Again, this law enforcement perspective is in contrast to eBay’s policy.

Law Enforcement: Detective Kirk Newman, Culver City Police Department

Detective Newman, however, holds a different perspective.  In the article, it states that Detective Newman pointed to a disclaimer warning that the Global Antiques pieces were “not for investment or resale purposes”.  Looking back at my archives of the Auction Depot LA eBay listings – the company that sold the most of these pieces – I can find no such disclaimer in the listings.  There is wording consistent with that on the Certificates of Authenticity, but 1) the text from these COAs were not copied to the auction listings and 2) these documents certify that the pieces are original.  These pieces were marketed as authentic and original, and a document was attached to them authenticating and certifying the same.

The successor to Auction Depot LA, Historic Souvenirs, did have some disclaimers, but this eBay account never sold one item – all of the listings were ended early and bids canceled.

The article established the notion, per the Detective, that the auction sellers “had done nothing illegal” and that those running the auctions “don’t know what they are selling”.  However, I questioned these pieces directly with Auction Depot LA, using eBay’s “Ask Seller A Question” feature, before publishing any articles.  I was ultimately ignored and banned from participating in their listings – merely for asking questions about authenticity.  Reviewing the way the auctions were marketed, it appears constructed to curb prospective buyers from obtaining any information beyond the Global Antiques COA.  If the eBay sellers truly did not know what they were selling, they would be in violation of eBay’s Authenticity Disclaimers policy (see eBay Policy: Authenticity Disclaimers):

Authenticity Disclaimers

Sellers may not disclaim knowledge of, or responsibility for, the authenticity or legality of the items offered in their listings.Sellers should take steps to ensure that their items are authentic before listing them on eBay. If a seller cannot verify the authenticity of an item, the seller is not permitted to list it.

Violations of this policy may result in a range of actions, including:

  • Listing cancellation
  • Limits on account privileges
  • Account suspension
  • Forfeit of eBay fees on cancelled listings
  • Loss of PowerSeller status

Outstanding Questions

I think the Times article does an excellent job of showing the inherent flaws in the situation regarding Global Antiques.

eBay has a conflict of interest in that it collects fees on auctions that it is supposed to police.  More, eBay cannot be expected to have expertise in all areas, yet at the same time can be very unresponsive to those third parties that take the time and effort to report issues that they detect (assuming that they can figure out how to make such reports (see eBay & Third Party Reporting (Fraud, Violations of Policy)).

I am also curious to know how eBay can justify keeping fees collected on fraudulent sales on their website.

As far as this specific case, it’s really anyone’s guess as to whether there will be any resolution for buyers or consequences for the sellers.  I will continue to post any future updates.

Jason De Bord