Wow, an ancient thread that was resting in peace gets dug up and derailed by a 2 post troll making accusations and a 37 post troll wanting to be a vigilante goon based on a 2 post troll's expulsion of pixel gas. Just wonderful.
@GoldFinger1969 said:
Strange that a disreputable dealer -- apparently a thief -- has such a prestigious academic, research, and writing background in the hobby. Usually, thieves prefer a much lower profile.
If this were me, I'd show up at his next coin show with a couple of police....or some big burly fellas and help myself to the cash value of what he stole from me from his table(s). Let him call the cops or security -- he can explain the crap he pulled with you.
Screw going through the courts and watching this fraud go underground again.
I think it’s irresponsible to post in that fashion, having heard just one side of a story.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
@Bigred0053 said:
I'm just finding this feed about the incident that happened to Brian Cushing in 2014. If anyone here sees my message, please let me know if you know the current whereabouts of Brian Cushing.
I've been a victim of him, having consigned multiple coins that he has sold and not paid me for. He won't respond to emails, nor phone calls....some of his phone numbers have been disconnected. I have filed a police report with the Long Beach Police Department since the coins exchanged hands at the Long Beach show over the course of 2019. With the shutdown of everything due to Covid, a couple of years shot by before I became suspicious. Seeing this thread, I suspect he claimed the theft of these coins for tax fraud. Who has this number of highly valued coins not certified????
If you know anything that can help me, please email me at "kevinmcnamara@comcast.net"!
You're going on 9 years now ? 4 years since you filed the police report ?
I'm sympathetic to your story, but the time delays here -- even assuming everything else pans out -- are suspect.
I know one dealer who got a bad check from another dealer. At the next coin show, he went up to that dealer and gave him back his check and then proceeded to help himself to that dealer's inventory and took an amount worth what the check was made out for. The other dealer just sat there and watched in shock.
On another occasion when a dealer I knew got a bad check from another dealer, he wrote "BAD" on the check with a red magic marker and put it in his display case. It didn't take long before the dealer ran up to his table with enough cash to buy back his bad check.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
@GoldFinger1969 said:
Strange that a disreputable dealer -- apparently a thief -- has such a prestigious academic, research, and writing background in the hobby. Usually, thieves prefer a much lower profile.
If this were me, I'd show up at his next coin show with a couple of police....or some big burly fellas and help myself to the cash value of what he stole from me from his table(s). Let him call the cops or security -- he can explain the crap he pulled with you.
Screw going through the courts and watching this fraud go underground again.
Didn't OJ try something like that?
Didn't work out too well for him.
@GoldFinger1969 said:
Strange that a disreputable dealer -- apparently a thief -- has such a prestigious academic, research, and writing background in the hobby. Usually, thieves prefer a much lower profile.
If this were me, I'd show up at his next coin show with a couple of police....or some big burly fellas and help myself to the cash value of what he stole from me from his table(s). Let him call the cops or security -- he can explain the crap he pulled with you.
Screw going through the courts and watching this fraud go underground again.
I think it’s irresponsible to post in that fashion, having heard just one side of a story.
I agree Mark. I actually think it's more than irresponsible. I'm not even sure anything about the story is real.
@ldhair said:
I agree Mark. I actually think it's more than irresponsible. I'm not even sure anything about the story is real.
I'm ASSUMING the story is true. Could be, could not be.....seeing a copy of the police report would lend some credence.
It would be far more more prudent and much more fair not to assume anything (other than that we don’t have all of the facts).
Read your first post again, then put yourself into the shoes of the person against whom an anonymous poster has made the accusations. Then, think about how you’d feel if the accusations were unjustified.
Add to that, the fact that the accusatory post was against forum rules.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
Not taking any side in this story specifically- but if any dealer was mia with consignment coins/unpaid invoices and not responding to email/calls, I think it would be wrong not to alert the public.
@joebb21 said:
Not taking any side in this story specifically- but if any dealer was mia with consignment coins/unpaid invoices and not responding to email/calls, I think it would be wrong not to alert the public.
3+ years after the deal allegedly went bad, the post does not qualify as a public alert.
Andy Lustig
Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.
Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
Is Cushing still around the hobby? Has anyone contacted him the past year or so? I have tried to contact him repeatedly through his website or over the phone with no luck. He had some storefront/office in Garrett County, Maryland last time I checked. Something weird is going on here.
@Barberian said:
Is Cushing still around the hobby? Has anyone contacted him the past year or so? I have tried to contact him repeatedly through his website or over the phone with no luck. He had some storefront/office in Garrett County, Maryland last time I checked. Something weird is going on here.
Are you sure he's still alive? We just went thru a pandemic and a lot of people didn't make it.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
Brian has served on the Board of Governors for the National Silver Dollar Roundtable (NSDR) since 2018. In 2020, he was elected to a two-year term as NSDR Vice President starting for the year 2021. He also serves the NSDR as Chairman of the education and seminars committee. In 2019, Brian received the NSDR Presidents award. In 2020, Brian received the prestigious NSDR Man of the Year award, in recognition of his work establishing the NSDR Young Numismatist Scholarship Program.
Anyone looking for him might try (minus the accusations) to track him down through those organizations.
As suggested, we just went through a pandemic so anything is possible.
The resurrecter of this thread claims the alleged offense occurred three or four years ago:
With the shutdown of everything due to Covid, a couple of years shot by before I became suspicious. Seeing this thread, I suspect he claimed the theft of these coins for tax fraud.
I wonder if "patience" has turned into something else by now. After all, there are statutes of limitations involved. And by the way, if the situation occurred as claimed, it's not simply a matter of "tax fraud".
@Bigred0053 said:
I've been a victim of him, having consigned multiple coins that he has sold and not paid me for. He won't respond to emails, nor phone calls....some of his phone numbers have been disconnected. I have filed a police report with the Long Beach Police Department since the coins exchanged hands at the Long Beach show over the course of 2019. With the shutdown of everything due to Covid, a couple of years shot by before I became suspicious. Seeing this thread, I suspect he claimed the theft of these coins for tax fraud.
Does this appear to be the man to whom you consigned multiple coins?
I don't disbelieve the event the new poster is saying that happened. It appears to be an honest and sincere post in trying to find out where Mr. Cushing is for the reason he stated, irrespective of whether he renewed an old thread and is a new board member here. I have emailed Mr. Cushing a couple times over the past couple years on LSCC matters and he never responded. I then also went to his website to see what was up and found his current situation as not dealing but being a 'consultant' and wondering what happened to the many stacks of coins he used to have in his trays and on his website. Based on my experiences with him, I could honestly see him being in a tough financial situation as a dealer and a few years ago, I decided to stay away from his table and not buy from him again. I won't say anything more about why, but now seeing this story claiming he did not pay for consigned coins in his possession that never came back to the poster, I am not surprised. I hope the poster has the documentation he will need to pursue this, and pursue he should.
Brian has served on the Board of Governors for the National Silver Dollar Roundtable (NSDR) since 2018. In 2020, he was elected to a two-year term as NSDR Vice President starting for the year 2021. He also serves the NSDR as Chairman of the education and seminars committee. In 2019, Brian received the NSDR Presidents award. In 2020, Brian received the prestigious NSDR Man of the Year award, in recognition of his work establishing the NSDR Young Numismatist Scholarship Program.
Anyone looking for him might try (minus the accusations) to track him down through those organizations.
As suggested, we just went through a pandemic so anything is possible.
The resurrecter of this thread claims the alleged offense occurred three or four years ago:
With the shutdown of everything due to Covid, a couple of years shot by before I became suspicious. Seeing this thread, I suspect he claimed the theft of these coins for tax fraud.
I wonder if "patience" has turned into something else by now. After all, there are statutes of limitations involved. And by the way, if the situation occurred as claimed, it's not simply a matter of "tax fraud".
For anyone trying to reach him, if this hasn't already been done, I'd suggest trying the number listed for him on the NSDR site: https://www.nsdr.net/contact-us/ and/or some of the other members there.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
This doesn't sound like someone who'd pull something like what's been asserted here.
You have first hand knowledge of the Mr Cushing or are you just echoing what he wrote about himself? Do you find it impossible that someone in the business for years could not behave like this? That logic doesn't hold up. There are crooks in every business, even among seemingly nice guys. There is no reason to belittle the dispute. This individual searched out the internet to find Mr Cushing and the dispute is between them. Let the courts and evidence determine whatever justice needs to be dispensed. At least, if so interested, at least be sympathetic enough to hear out the evidence. People generally don't drop out of the sky with testimony like this without cause and there is too much theft and fraud in the coin trade that gets a wink and a nod. More effort needs to be made to support the victims of fraud and crime in this hobby, and to prevent theft and crime, rather than protecting dealers (who are themselves the most common victims of crime in the community), grading companies and auction houses. It is everyone's responsibility to attempt to weed these cases of fraud and theft out of the profession and much as reasonably possible.
So many immigrant groups have swept through our town that Brooklyn, like Atlantis, reaches mythological proportions in the mind of the world - RI Safir 1998
@BStrauss3 said:
Or maybe you have to wonder about a two-post wonder pouncing on a 8-year-old thread...
There is nothing to wonder about. It is perfectly normal since it is searchable on any search engine.
So many immigrant groups have swept through our town that Brooklyn, like Atlantis, reaches mythological proportions in the mind of the world - RI Safir 1998
Would love to hear Brian’s side to this story. I never bought or sold to him direct but he was always generous with his time at shows. He even sent me a hard copy of his book prior to payment. Years ago he had a PCGS XF45 71cc $ that I inquired about, but he had already given it back to the consignor who ended up selling at a Legend auction. I only know of one jackass in the Seated community that I would advise others to stay away from. I really hope Brian does not turn out to be #2. Look forward to finding out more details.
@coinasaurus is he still affiliated with the LSCC?
I have always looked forward to seeing Brian at the Baltimore shows over the years. It was one of the highlights of my show. Just talking family and coins ,drinking wine at the table and going to LSCC dinners with him. Brian was always great when my son came with me to the shows. If Dylan was tired or bored he would play video games with Brian. I also liked the fact that when young numismatists came to the table he made it a point to spend the time with the kids. From time to time we talk since we haven’t seen each other in years.
I’ve done several deals with Brian and never had any issues.
The internet is mostly very good but can be very harmful at times. I’m not sure how I feel about this thread but I’m surprised the mods haven’t closed it.
@skier07 said:
The internet is mostly very good but can be very harmful at times. I’m not sure how I feel about this thread but I’m surprised the mods haven’t closed it.
Im very curious to hear both sides os the story, but I can't write it off as false yet. A few people posted up to date contact information for Mr. Cushing, another member said they couldn't reach him, and i'm sure others who knew him reached out to alert him of this thread. Not one person has reported that they've gotten in touch with or heard anything from him at all. It would be nice if @Bigred0053 could provide any documentation of the incident and let us see the police report to back up his claim.
@ms71 said:
I looked up OsburnCushing Numismatics. The website now shows an address of a P.O. box in Pasadena, Maryland with no phone number. (The 603 area code Mark lists above googles as a New Hampshire-only area code). Here's a blurb I found in the "My Blog" section of the OsburnCushing website:
Dick Osburn has been collecting and trading coins since he was 10 years old. Dick has over his over 35 years as a coin dealer, handling over 40 million dollars of rare coinage during his esteemed career. Dick has written over three dozen articles for the Gobrecht Journal, the journal of the Liberty Seated Collectors' Club. Dick has been heavily involved with research on Seated half dollars since the mid-1980s, developing a strong friendship in the process with Bill Bugert and Randy Wiley while adding his expertise and knowledge to their vast research on Seated half dollars. Dick is the co-Author of the reference guide, "Liberty Seated Dollars: A Register of Die Varieties." Dick also authored the Seated Half section of Kevin Flynn's book on misplaced dates.
Dick has given educational seminars on Seated half dollars and Seated dollars at major conventions across the country. He regularly mans a booth at the Houston Coin Show for the Liberty Seated Collectors club, always willing and able to share his vast knowledge with those eager to learn. Dicks forthright personality, honesty and integrity have made him a favorite of dealers and collectors alike.
Brian Cushing has been collecting coins since he was eight. Those early Lincoln and Buffalo exhibits still grace his desk. Brian began his official Numismatic career at JJ Teaparty in downtown Boston under the tutelage of Elizabeth Coggan, the famed Numismatic expert who worked under Q David Bowers at American Numismatic Rarties. Liz created a passion for variety attribution within Brian that festered and grew over the years.
Brian Cushing Rare Coins was his first crack at Numismatic Entrepreneurship. Utilizing his national contacts, he founded the company as a wholesale outlet. During that endeavor, he was approached by Wayne Herndon with the opportunity to run Dick Osburn Rare Coins. Excited at the possibility of being mentored by a Numismatic legend, Brian accepted the positions of Vice President and Senior Numismatist. Dick and Brian quickly formed a wonderful friendship and mentorship. In February of 2014, Brian acquired the business from Wayne and is now the sole owner of Dick Osburn Rare Coins (now Osburn Cushing Numismatics).
Brian has established himself as a nationally recognized expert in all things early United States coinage. He has been heavily involved in the research and education of Liberty Seated dollars. He is the co-author of the reference guide, "Liberty Seated Dollars: A Register of Die Varieties." He is the West Coast Regional Director of the Liberty Seated Collectors Club. Brian has served on the Board of Governors for the National Silver Dollar Roundtable (NSDR) since 2018. In 2020, he was elected to a two-year term as NSDR Vice President starting for the year 2021. He also serves the NSDR as Chairman of the education and seminars committee. In 2019, Brian received the NSDR Presidents award. In 2020, Brian received the prestigious NSDR Man of the Year award, in recognition of his work establishing the NSDR Young Numismatist Scholarship Program.
Brian began shifting the focus of the coin business towards Numismatic consulting after the show disruptions in 2020 & 2021. As an expert in US coinage, Brian has offered coin appraisal, auction representation, professional grading processing and representation, pedigree application services, retail and wholesale broker services, will and trust consultation and appraisals. In addition to these services, we continue to offer premium Numismatic pieces to retail customers through our website and eBay.
This doesn't sound like someone who'd pull something like what's been asserted here.
People change. What has been asserted against Brian can be corroborated, personally.
I realize now that I should have been checking this forum for replies, as I never received notification that anyone had commented on my issue with Brian Cushing.
To update things after MUCH researching, I finally flushed him out and he sent me an email basically confessing to the crime. It took the better part of a year to get a copy of my police report with the Long Beach PD, but now what...how do I go about requesting charges being brought against him? He claims he is out of the coin business.
Also, I have been contacted by another victim of Brian, and we are hoping even other victims will come forward and join the effort to bring him to justice.
If anyone else has been ripped off by Cushing, please email me at "kevinmcnamara@comcast.net".
I'm also open to input from anyone who knows how to file charges against someone who lives out of state. Federal court? FBI? Please help...!!!
@Bigred0053 said:
I realize now that I should have been checking this forum for replies, as I never received notification that anyone had commented on my issue with Brian Cushing.
To update things after MUCH researching, I finally flushed him out and he sent me an email basically confessing to the crime. It took the better part of a year to get a copy of my police report with the Long Beach PD, but now what...how do I go about requesting charges being brought against him? He claims he is out of the coin business.
Also, I have been contacted by another victim of Brian, and we are hoping even other victims will come forward and join the effort to bring him to justice.
If anyone else has been ripped off by Cushing, please email me at "kevinmcnamara@comcast.net".
I'm also open to input from anyone who knows how to file charges against someone who lives out of state. Federal court? FBI? Please help...!!!
I'm sorry to read about what happened to you. My advice would be to start a new thread about the matter if you want information from other folks or if you want to make certain folks know your story.
@SanctionII ---Is there any advice that you can give this numismatic crime victim?
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
You don't file criminal charges, that's up to the prosecutor - and they won't if they don't see a meaningful chance of winning the case.
You file a CIVIL action.
Do you have an agreement with the individual? Or a company/LLC that's now defunct?
If you have a live claim, an attorney might take it on a contingency basis, but they usually charge 30% and they need to see a realistic chance at a reasonable payback. There is a reason the local ambulance chaser advertises they won $33.22m and the small print says the client received $21m to cover a lifetime of medical care.
You can hire an attorney at an hourly rate. That burns up any recovery fast too.
Assuming you win, you then have to identify assets to have seized, file the judgement with the court where the assets are located, perfect the claim, then file with the local sheriff (fee), who seizes the assets, sells them, and gives you what's left after more fees.
-----Burton ANA 50 year/Life Member (now "Emeritus")
@BStrauss3 said:
You don't file criminal charges, that's up to the prosecutor - and they won't if they don't see a meaningful chance of winning the case.
You file a CIVIL action.
Do you have an agreement with the individual? Or a company/LLC that's now defunct?
If you have a live claim, an attorney might take it on a contingency basis, but they usually charge 30% and they need to see a realistic chance at a reasonable payback. There is a reason the local ambulance chaser advertises they won $33.22m and the small print says the client received $21m to cover a lifetime of medical care.
You can hire an attorney at an hourly rate. That burns up any recovery fast too.
Assuming you win, you then have to identify assets to have seized, file the judgement with the court where the assets are located, perfect the claim, then file with the local sheriff (fee), who seizes the assets, sells them, and gives you what's left after more fees.
Thanks for commenting on this...its a good start for my pursuit. I certainly don't want to spend more money on top of what is already a big loss.
I do have an agreement with Cushing, a consignment document signed and dated by him.
Also I might start a new thread as suggested by TomB, especially since I have had contact by another victim. I'm sure there are others. So sad from a guy that seemed so nice, but in hindsight there were a few red flags that should have cautioned me. People like that tend to be experts at grooming victims....as is often demonstrated on the show American Greed!
@Bigred0053 I am going to start out by telling you that you should NOT be asking strange people on the internet for advice and or discussing your case on line. Now a strange person on the internet is going to give you some advice.
Dealing with law enforcement is not all that different than dealing with the medical community. You start with your primary doctor (In this case that would be the law enforcement officer who took your initial filing), and you give them what evidence you have found and try to convince them to pursue the case.
Understand this. YOU have already talked about not wasting more time or money. Law officers know that 90% of the time people will refuse to travel, or testify or even follow up with charges because they don't want the attention or want to spend more money. So decide FIRST how committed you are before contacting them.
I have been a crime victim. I had to pursue the case across 4 states and it took over 2 years.
I don't know you and you don't know me. I have no idea what other law agencies will have to get involved but know this. without the help of the initial officer it is like frosty the snow man and you are starting from scratch with people who have no reason to pay attention to you. Good luck and god bless. James
Comments
Wow, an ancient thread that was resting in peace gets dug up and derailed by a 2 post troll making accusations and a 37 post troll wanting to be a vigilante goon based on a 2 post troll's expulsion of pixel gas. Just wonderful.
10-4,
My Instagram picturesErik
My registry sets
I think it’s irresponsible to post in that fashion, having heard just one side of a story.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
Might be right....but if it is true that the guy stole, no excuse. I know of a few people who pulled this junk.
You're going on 9 years now ? 4 years since you filed the police report ?
I'm sympathetic to your story, but the time delays here -- even assuming everything else pans out -- are suspect.
I know one dealer who got a bad check from another dealer. At the next coin show, he went up to that dealer and gave him back his check and then proceeded to help himself to that dealer's inventory and took an amount worth what the check was made out for. The other dealer just sat there and watched in shock.
On another occasion when a dealer I knew got a bad check from another dealer, he wrote "BAD" on the check with a red magic marker and put it in his display case. It didn't take long before the dealer ran up to his table with enough cash to buy back his bad check.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
Didn't OJ try something like that?
Didn't work out too well for him.
I agree Mark. I actually think it's more than irresponsible. I'm not even sure anything about the story is real.
I'm ASSUMING the story is true. Could be, could not be.....seeing a copy of the police report would lend some credence.
It would be far more more prudent and much more fair not to assume anything (other than that we don’t have all of the facts).
Read your first post again, then put yourself into the shoes of the person against whom an anonymous poster has made the accusations. Then, think about how you’d feel if the accusations were unjustified.
Add to that, the fact that the accusatory post was against forum rules.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
Not taking any side in this story specifically- but if any dealer was mia with consignment coins/unpaid invoices and not responding to email/calls, I think it would be wrong not to alert the public.
3+ years after the deal allegedly went bad, the post does not qualify as a public alert.
Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.
Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
It does if the parties involved are still around and you never heard about the matter.
Is Cushing still around the hobby? Has anyone contacted him the past year or so? I have tried to contact him repeatedly through his website or over the phone with no luck. He had some storefront/office in Garrett County, Maryland last time I checked. Something weird is going on here.
Are you sure he's still alive? We just went thru a pandemic and a lot of people didn't make it.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
From the bio posted earlier:
Brian has served on the Board of Governors for the National Silver Dollar Roundtable (NSDR) since 2018. In 2020, he was elected to a two-year term as NSDR Vice President starting for the year 2021. He also serves the NSDR as Chairman of the education and seminars committee. In 2019, Brian received the NSDR Presidents award. In 2020, Brian received the prestigious NSDR Man of the Year award, in recognition of his work establishing the NSDR Young Numismatist Scholarship Program.
Anyone looking for him might try (minus the accusations) to track him down through those organizations.
As suggested, we just went through a pandemic so anything is possible.
The resurrecter of this thread claims the alleged offense occurred three or four years ago:
With the shutdown of everything due to Covid, a couple of years shot by before I became suspicious. Seeing this thread, I suspect he claimed the theft of these coins for tax fraud.
I wonder if "patience" has turned into something else by now. After all, there are statutes of limitations involved. And by the way, if the situation occurred as claimed, it's not simply a matter of "tax fraud".
Does this appear to be the man to whom you consigned multiple coins?
I don't disbelieve the event the new poster is saying that happened. It appears to be an honest and sincere post in trying to find out where Mr. Cushing is for the reason he stated, irrespective of whether he renewed an old thread and is a new board member here. I have emailed Mr. Cushing a couple times over the past couple years on LSCC matters and he never responded. I then also went to his website to see what was up and found his current situation as not dealing but being a 'consultant' and wondering what happened to the many stacks of coins he used to have in his trays and on his website. Based on my experiences with him, I could honestly see him being in a tough financial situation as a dealer and a few years ago, I decided to stay away from his table and not buy from him again. I won't say anything more about why, but now seeing this story claiming he did not pay for consigned coins in his possession that never came back to the poster, I am not surprised. I hope the poster has the documentation he will need to pursue this, and pursue he should.
Best, SH
For anyone trying to reach him, if this hasn't already been done, I'd suggest trying the number listed for him on the NSDR site: https://www.nsdr.net/contact-us/ and/or some of the other members there.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
You have first hand knowledge of the Mr Cushing or are you just echoing what he wrote about himself? Do you find it impossible that someone in the business for years could not behave like this? That logic doesn't hold up. There are crooks in every business, even among seemingly nice guys. There is no reason to belittle the dispute. This individual searched out the internet to find Mr Cushing and the dispute is between them. Let the courts and evidence determine whatever justice needs to be dispensed. At least, if so interested, at least be sympathetic enough to hear out the evidence. People generally don't drop out of the sky with testimony like this without cause and there is too much theft and fraud in the coin trade that gets a wink and a nod. More effort needs to be made to support the victims of fraud and crime in this hobby, and to prevent theft and crime, rather than protecting dealers (who are themselves the most common victims of crime in the community), grading companies and auction houses. It is everyone's responsibility to attempt to weed these cases of fraud and theft out of the profession and much as reasonably possible.
There is nothing to wonder about. It is perfectly normal since it is searchable on any search engine.
Would love to hear Brian’s side to this story. I never bought or sold to him direct but he was always generous with his time at shows. He even sent me a hard copy of his book prior to payment. Years ago he had a PCGS XF45 71cc $ that I inquired about, but he had already given it back to the consignor who ended up selling at a Legend auction. I only know of one jackass in the Seated community that I would advise others to stay away from. I really hope Brian does not turn out to be #2. Look forward to finding out more details.
@coinasaurus is he still affiliated with the LSCC?
I have always looked forward to seeing Brian at the Baltimore shows over the years. It was one of the highlights of my show. Just talking family and coins ,drinking wine at the table and going to LSCC dinners with him. Brian was always great when my son came with me to the shows. If Dylan was tired or bored he would play video games with Brian. I also liked the fact that when young numismatists came to the table he made it a point to spend the time with the kids. From time to time we talk since we haven’t seen each other in years.
I’ve done several deals with Brian and never had any issues.
Important? Hire a private dick. His homies ain’t singing.
Carping here won’t get it back.
Yes, whining in a forum is normal entertainment.
Has anyone else noticed that Big Red hasn't posted another comment since his initial 2?🤔
Time to let this thread fade away in my opinion 😉
Does this appear to be the man to whom you consigned multiple coins?
End Systemic Elitism - It Takes All Of Us
🍾🍾🎉 Post of the day everyone! 🤣🤣🤣
Founder- Peak Rarities
Website
Instagram
Facebook
The internet is mostly very good but can be very harmful at times. I’m not sure how I feel about this thread but I’m surprised the mods haven’t closed it.
Im very curious to hear both sides os the story, but I can't write it off as false yet. A few people posted up to date contact information for Mr. Cushing, another member said they couldn't reach him, and i'm sure others who knew him reached out to alert him of this thread. Not one person has reported that they've gotten in touch with or heard anything from him at all. It would be nice if @Bigred0053 could provide any documentation of the incident and let us see the police report to back up his claim.
Founder- Peak Rarities
Website
Instagram
Facebook
People change. What has been asserted against Brian can be corroborated, personally.
I realize now that I should have been checking this forum for replies, as I never received notification that anyone had commented on my issue with Brian Cushing.
To update things after MUCH researching, I finally flushed him out and he sent me an email basically confessing to the crime. It took the better part of a year to get a copy of my police report with the Long Beach PD, but now what...how do I go about requesting charges being brought against him? He claims he is out of the coin business.
Also, I have been contacted by another victim of Brian, and we are hoping even other victims will come forward and join the effort to bring him to justice.
If anyone else has been ripped off by Cushing, please email me at "kevinmcnamara@comcast.net".
I'm also open to input from anyone who knows how to file charges against someone who lives out of state. Federal court? FBI? Please help...!!!
I'm sorry to read about what happened to you. My advice would be to start a new thread about the matter if you want information from other folks or if you want to make certain folks know your story.
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
Calling SanctionII
Mike
My Indians
Danco Set
@SanctionII ---Is there any advice that you can give this numismatic crime victim?
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
You don't file criminal charges, that's up to the prosecutor - and they won't if they don't see a meaningful chance of winning the case.
You file a CIVIL action.
Do you have an agreement with the individual? Or a company/LLC that's now defunct?
If you have a live claim, an attorney might take it on a contingency basis, but they usually charge 30% and they need to see a realistic chance at a reasonable payback. There is a reason the local ambulance chaser advertises they won $33.22m and the small print says the client received $21m to cover a lifetime of medical care.
You can hire an attorney at an hourly rate. That burns up any recovery fast too.
Depending on the amount at issue, you may be able to file in small claims court without a lawyer. Your county will have information, e.g. https://www.dentoncounty.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1027/Information-Packet-PDF
which says the limit is $20,000.
Assuming you win, you then have to identify assets to have seized, file the judgement with the court where the assets are located, perfect the claim, then file with the local sheriff (fee), who seizes the assets, sells them, and gives you what's left after more fees.
ANA 50 year/Life Member (now "Emeritus")
Thanks for commenting on this...its a good start for my pursuit. I certainly don't want to spend more money on top of what is already a big loss.
I do have an agreement with Cushing, a consignment document signed and dated by him.
Also I might start a new thread as suggested by TomB, especially since I have had contact by another victim. I'm sure there are others. So sad from a guy that seemed so nice, but in hindsight there were a few red flags that should have cautioned me. People like that tend to be experts at grooming victims....as is often demonstrated on the show American Greed!
@Bigred0053 I am going to start out by telling you that you should NOT be asking strange people on the internet for advice and or discussing your case on line. Now a strange person on the internet is going to give you some advice.
Dealing with law enforcement is not all that different than dealing with the medical community. You start with your primary doctor (In this case that would be the law enforcement officer who took your initial filing), and you give them what evidence you have found and try to convince them to pursue the case.
Understand this. YOU have already talked about not wasting more time or money. Law officers know that 90% of the time people will refuse to travel, or testify or even follow up with charges because they don't want the attention or want to spend more money. So decide FIRST how committed you are before contacting them.
I have been a crime victim. I had to pursue the case across 4 states and it took over 2 years.
I don't know you and you don't know me. I have no idea what other law agencies will have to get involved but know this. without the help of the initial officer it is like frosty the snow man and you are starting from scratch with people who have no reason to pay attention to you. Good luck and god bless. James