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97.5% feedback and this too another shady dealer!
metalmike
Posts: 2,152 ✭✭
MONTE GETS PLAQUE BACK
Here's a feelgood story about one of the really good guys of baseball, Hall of Famer Monte Irvin, done bad by one of those predator sports memorabilia dealers.
A while back, Irvin, who lives on the west coast of Florida, got a call from a guy named Rick Kohl - "Broadway Rick" of Strike Zone Collectibles in Alachua, Fla. - asking him if he was interested in selling any of his memorabilia. When Irvin said he was, Kohl managed to talk his way into visiting the 84-year-old former Giants and Negro League outfielder at his house.
"Once he got in my house," Irvin related, "I foolishly let him rummage through all my belongings. All the while, he kept asking about my Hall of Fame plaque. When he finally found it in my closet, he tossed it on the pile of all the other stuff, and gave me $2,000 for it. By that time, I was confused and I just let him take it. Then I found out a few months later it was going on auction for $10,000. At first, I was embarrassed and ashamed that I'd been so gullible, but then I got mad as hell."
When Irvin's friend and fellow Hall of Famer, Joe Morgan, heard about it, he was equally livid. After going through some back channels, Morgan made an appeal to Joshua Evans, the proprietor of Lelands Auction House on Long Island, to see if there was a way to return the plaque to Irvin.
"Even though I'd paid $10,000 for it, I felt badly for Monte," Evans said. "It disturbs us when you hear about these things; where these old players are taken advantage of. The $2,000 was ridiculous.
"To give you an example, we sold Pee Wee Reese's plaque and got $18,000 for the Reese family, and we've never sold a Hall of Fame plaque for less than $10,000. Anyway, I ate the $10,000 and returned the plaque to Monte. I realize it's awfully hard to get $10,000 back in good will, but maybe this will be a springboard for us in regard to Hall of Famers coming directly to us in the future."
Said Irvin: "I'm grateful to Josh and all the people who helped me get my plaque back and I'll never make this mistake again. The lesson here is: Be vigilant and make prudent decisions."
Here's a feelgood story about one of the really good guys of baseball, Hall of Famer Monte Irvin, done bad by one of those predator sports memorabilia dealers.
A while back, Irvin, who lives on the west coast of Florida, got a call from a guy named Rick Kohl - "Broadway Rick" of Strike Zone Collectibles in Alachua, Fla. - asking him if he was interested in selling any of his memorabilia. When Irvin said he was, Kohl managed to talk his way into visiting the 84-year-old former Giants and Negro League outfielder at his house.
"Once he got in my house," Irvin related, "I foolishly let him rummage through all my belongings. All the while, he kept asking about my Hall of Fame plaque. When he finally found it in my closet, he tossed it on the pile of all the other stuff, and gave me $2,000 for it. By that time, I was confused and I just let him take it. Then I found out a few months later it was going on auction for $10,000. At first, I was embarrassed and ashamed that I'd been so gullible, but then I got mad as hell."
When Irvin's friend and fellow Hall of Famer, Joe Morgan, heard about it, he was equally livid. After going through some back channels, Morgan made an appeal to Joshua Evans, the proprietor of Lelands Auction House on Long Island, to see if there was a way to return the plaque to Irvin.
"Even though I'd paid $10,000 for it, I felt badly for Monte," Evans said. "It disturbs us when you hear about these things; where these old players are taken advantage of. The $2,000 was ridiculous.
"To give you an example, we sold Pee Wee Reese's plaque and got $18,000 for the Reese family, and we've never sold a Hall of Fame plaque for less than $10,000. Anyway, I ate the $10,000 and returned the plaque to Monte. I realize it's awfully hard to get $10,000 back in good will, but maybe this will be a springboard for us in regard to Hall of Famers coming directly to us in the future."
Said Irvin: "I'm grateful to Josh and all the people who helped me get my plaque back and I'll never make this mistake again. The lesson here is: Be vigilant and make prudent decisions."
USN 1977-1987 * ALL cards are commons unless auto'd. Buying Britneycards. NWO for life.
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eBay user name: brsz-2
website: http://bid.strikezoneauctions.com/
Strike Zone
14822 Main Street
Alachua, FL 32615
(800) 344-9103
e-mail: info@strikezoneauctions.com
Raw: Tony Gonzalez (low #'d cards, and especially 1/1's) and Steve Young.
What's next, Sidney Ponson was traded from the Orioles to the Giants or the Marlins won the World Series?