As has been noted in past features (see Market Watch | “stonark” / “*stoneark*” (Corner Collectibles / Cornner Collectibles)), eBay seller *stoneark* (recently changed from stonark) has paired Letters of Authenticity and Certificates of Authenticity from auction houses and a variety of other sources. I have been unable to verify the existence of most of these firms and individuals, which has raised a number of questions as to provenance. This update focuses on one of the LOAs previously archived – Doumont Auction “World of Hollywood” – with a variation sent to me by a buyer from the recent batch of over 250 eBay listings that ended this month. While the business address in the first example did not appear to exist, the reference in this second example proves more problematic.
Previous “Doumont Auction” Provenance Example – Ginger Rogers
Below is the previously archived example from a reader of a letter from “Doumont Auction, World of Hollywood” and accompanying Corner Collectibles LOA signed by Owner Anthony Shkutnick:
Though the letter of authenticity is dated 2005 – only 3 years ago – I can find no proof of existence of this company.
The address on the letterhead – 10777 Richards Street, Las Vegas, Nevada 89031 – does not appear to exist.
As is the case with the prior examples, I can find no records of a license number 688431-0981.
Linda Thomas is a common name, but found no matches related to Hollywood memorabilia or auctions.
New “Doumont Auction” Provenance Example – Moe Howard
Below is the recently received example from a reader of a letter from “Doumont Auction, World of Hollywood” and accompanying Corner Collectibles LOA signed by Owner Anthony Shkutnick, as well as a letter from an Anthony Schiffer:
“ACTOR MOE HOWARD OWNED SILK MOHAIR SUIT”
eBay Item Number: 120344517033eBay Auction Full Archive: LINK
Below are scans of the documents which accompanied the wardrobe pieces:
Corner Collectibles/Cornner Colletibles: Comparing and Contrasting Provenance
Though the accompanying documentation comes from two *stoneark* auctions just two months apart (one in October 2008, one in December 2008), there are some significant discrepancies.
“Corner Collectibles” now “Cornner Collectibles”
As previously reported, in addition to Anthony Shkutnick changing his eBay account name from stonark to *stoneark* in November (see eBay’s stonark Changes User ID To *stoneark*), he changed his company name from “Corner Collectibles” to “Cornner Collectibles” (adding one “n” to “Corner) in December (see eBay’s *stoneark*: Another Name Change & Duplicate Listings With Different Attributions). This last change also appears to have been made with Mr. Shkutnick’s own Certificate of Authenticity:
Note Mr. Shkutnick has changed “Corner” to “Cornner” not just at the top of the document, but he has changed his e-mail accordingly.
October 2008 E-Mail Address:
December 2008 E-Mail Address:
- cornn[email protected]
“Doumont Auction – World of Hollywood”
Below is a side-by-side comparison of the newly issued “Doumont Auction” Letter of Authenticity with the one previously archived in prior articles:
Observations
The two documents are dated June 9, 1997 and March 11, 2005, which would suggest Doumont Auction is a company that is at least 8 years old, and in business as recently as 3 years ago, yet I have found no evidence of its existence on the Internet or in talking with hobbyists that have collected original props and wardrobe for decades.
As the author of the letter, Linda Thomas, serves in the role of CEO, this is more puzzling. The signatory on the newly received 1997 letter is Peter Kent, Vice President. Given the formal roles, it would suggest this is a substantive company.
The “Catalogue #” of the 1997 document is #379, while it is #321 in the 2005 document. Why would the catalog numbers decrease over time? All other auction houses (Christie’s, Bonhams, Sotheby’s, Profiles in History) have catalog and sale numbers that increase with each new event (i.e. 29, 30, 31, 32, 33).
As noted previously, the Las Vegas business address on the 2005 document does not appear to exist.
With this new 1997 document, “At The SANDS HOTEL & CASINO” has been added in the header, and “AT THE SANDS HOTEL & CASINO IN DOWNTOWN RENO, NV” has been added to the footer.
The Sands Hotel & Casino was not located in Reno, Nevada but Las Vegas, Nevada – about 450 miles away (approximately 8 hours away by car).
More, the Sands Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas was imploded (i.e. destroyed) on November 26, 1996.
Below is a video of the Sands Hotel & Casino in Nevada being destroyed in 1996 (one year prior to the 1997 Doumont Auction letter with the”At the SANDS HOTEL & CASINO” byline:
See Venetian Property History and Wikipedia Entry for more information.
Also of note is that the two “Linda Thomas. CEO” signatures do not appear to match:
Additionally, I do have a friend who won a prop auctioned from the Atlantic City Sands Hotel & Casino. Per my friend, this large auction event included classic Hollywood wardrobe and was managed by Dawson’s (now Dawson & Nye), with online bidding managed via Sotheby’s. My friend’s win has a six figure market value and his item did not include a COA, LOA, or paperwork of any kind.
Robert J. Schiffer, “Hollywood Makeup Artist”
The most interesting thing about this letter is that it is dated May 21, 1997 and speaks to selling the wardrobe pieces to “Doumont Auctions in Las Vegas” – the Doumont Auctions LOA it is paired with is dated June 9, 1997, only two or three weeks later. Again, the Doumont Auction LOA lists its location in the footer as being in “DOWNTOWN RENO, NV”.
Taking the letter at face value, this would imply that Doumont Auction was not selling on behalf of the Sands resort, but operating as a traditional auction house taking consignments and placing them in an auction catalog, and leased space within the Sands Hotel & Casino. But, as noted, the Sands was not in Reno, but Las Vegas, and it was demolished in the year prior to both the Robert J. Schiffer and Doumont Auction LOAs.
Robert J. Schiffer was an actual person who worked as a make-up artist (see IMDb listing).
He died in 2005.
90-Day Sales Archive
Below is the Goofbay 90-day archive of stonark / *stoneark* eBay public sales activity as of December 27, 2008:
The 90-day “Total Value Sold” on eBay, per Goofbay is $33,653.50 (an average of $11,217.93/month).
Again, the details of the questions raised about the provenance accompanying wardrobe, props, and other memorabilia sold by *stoneark* can be found in the latest compilation article:
All related articles can be found here: Market Watch | stonark /*stoneark* (Corner Collectibles / Cornner Collectibles)
If anyone has any additional information, please publish a Reader Comment below or contact me.
Jason De Bord