Sue....

Actually, there are less than 300 members here. At least 200 are not
here anymore (signed up and never came back or signed up and looked
and never came back; or posted once for a specific reason, got no
response and never came back). Problably more I bet. Then another 50
members rarely ever view this. It's probably their emergency place to
get questions answered, hawk items or troll. then the remaining 50,
about half of those just lurk. they never post. Most likely they
hope for addresses and use them to post elsewhere.

The remaining 25, of those, only half post here and there and don't
care about all this and probably just delete threads. There is
probably a dozen people at most who read this. About half of those
just laugh and occasionally put a one liner in or something.

It's the remainnig half dozen that care and keep going back and forth.
I hardly call it making a dent in the autograph world.

PS the grain of salt thing is the right thing to do.

On Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:34:56 -0500, "Gummby3"
wrote:

I'm not defending or condemning anybody. I'm giving the benefit of
the doubt, which I provide to anybody. We're in a community of
faceless screen names where anybody can say anything about anyone and
not have to suffer the consequences. Unless there is hard evidence
that Strickler is forging or has forged anything, it's unfounded.
Have I purchased anything from him? No. I can't afford the
extravagant prices that come with some of the autographs. I'm simply
reading what's being posted, which seems to have come out of left
field very recently. Just as I read all of the posts about Barefoot
and the very odd accusations (non-autograph related) with a grain of
salt, I'm doing the same here. It's just my opinion. Unless there is
hard evidence: complaints, police reports, investigations (that are
provable), then it's he said/he said and I'm just as right as the next
person. I have been in this hobby, not the business that it's morphed
into, for almost 30 years. I know that there are a lot of forged
autographs out there. Anybody that claims otherwise is mislead. Did
I go look at the autographs? No. Why should I. I am not an expert
and my findings would be baseless. I definitely am not posting this
to get into a dispute. I am simply posting my opinion. Everyone is
entitled to an opinion until facts prove otherwise. :-)

sue..i did give you the links to the star wars stuff...
his star wars, harry potter and lord of the rings have direct links on
the front page of his website...right hand side. this stuff is a
JOKE...really.

and harrison ford has only done the handful of signings...and it's
only like 50 items at a time. there aren't even 3-400 signed items
that have come from a private signing out there. but like i said, he
has 5+ natalie portman items and she DOES NOT sign star wars stuff
(and like i've been saying, she doesn't sign much anyway)..
i've offered all kinds of prrof that just about everything is fake
that he is selling (the admin at anthony michael hall's site told me
that he doesn't feel that the anthony signature is real either,
pointing out that the slant in the a is in a different direction than
the slant on the autographs he's watched michael sign- but until i get
a final word, i'm not going to claim anything, i just still think it's
funny that it's the EXACT SAME A on all three of those people's
signatures and it's supposed to be 3 different people.) and the matt
damon/clint eastwood thing should be a really good jumping point to
KNOWING that strickler's stuff is fake...funny how he has no answer
for that one.

i don't know where i'm going with this right now...so i'm gonna stop.
mike

could ya find it again; so sorry, I must've accidentally deleted (I am
disorganized last two weeks). If not, no biggie; I'll look by Friday

On Tue, 25 Mar 2008 09:06:32 -0700 (PDT), barefoot
wrote:

sue..i did give you the links to the star wars stuff...
his star wars, harry potter and lord of the rings have direct links on
the front page of his website...right hand side. this stuff is a
JOKE...really.

and harrison ford has only done the handful of signings...and it's
only like 50 items at a time. there aren't even 3-400 signed items
that have come from a private signing out there. but like i said, he
has 5+ natalie portman items and she DOES NOT sign star wars stuff
(and like i've been saying, she doesn't sign much anyway)..
i've offered all kinds of prrof that just about everything is fake
that he is selling (the admin at anthony michael hall's site told me
that he doesn't feel that the anthony signature is real either,
pointing out that the slant in the a is in a different direction than
the slant on the autographs he's watched michael sign- but until i get
a final word, i'm not going to claim anything, i just still think it's
funny that it's the EXACT SAME A on all three of those people's
signatures and it's supposed to be 3 different people.) and the matt
damon/clint eastwood thing should be a really good jumping point to
KNOWING that strickler's stuff is fake...funny how he has no answer
for that one.

i don't know where i'm going with this right now...so i'm gonna stop.
mike

On Mar 25, 12:06�pm, barefoot wrote:
sue..i did give you the links to the star wars stuff...
his star wars, harry potter and lord of the rings have direct links on
the front page of his �website...right hand side. this stuff is a
JOKE...really.

and harrison ford has only done the handful of signings...and it's
only like 50 items at a time. there aren't even 3-400 signed items
that have come from a private signing out there. but like i said, he
has 5+ natalie portman items and she DOES NOT sign star wars stuff
(and like i've been saying, she doesn't sign much anyway)..
i've offered all kinds of prrof that just about everything is fake
that he is selling (the admin at anthony michael hall's site told me
that he doesn't feel that the anthony signature is real either,
pointing out that the slant in the a is in a different direction than
the slant on the autographs he's watched michael sign- but until i get
a final word, i'm not going to claim anything, i just still think it's
funny that it's the EXACT SAME A on all three of those people's
signatures and it's supposed to be 3 different people.) and the matt
damon/clint eastwood thing should be a really good jumping point to
KNOWING that strickler's stuff is fake...funny how he has no answer
for that one.

i don't know where i'm going with this right now...so i'm gonna stop.
mike


I forwarded an email to several people on here how I acquire and my
sources...specifically my personal and business relationships. It is
NOT something I'm going to publish on these threads. My 'about me'
page gives a general idea of how we acquire. True, I rarely (anymore)
go out and obtain personally because I am now disabled. I have
trusted associates, some I have known for almost 30 years, who find
these pieces. That is the privilage for having very good contacts.
But I do know where the signatures were acquired and any other
provenance of importance. I always explain to customers, if you do
not feel comfortable buying from me I'd rather you look elsewhere....I
want them to be absolutely satisfied with their purchase and buying
experience. If my reputation was not solid, I would not have gotten
as far as I have. I am a bonded seller....do you release the scrutiny
involved with that? Very few autograph dealers can get
bonded...that's a fact. I am not a registered UACC dealer because the
by-laws have changed and they have a limit of the number of registered
dealers...I must wait for an sponsor when there is an opening. Some
of the queries on here wondered why I have so many 'A" list
celebrities well, it wasn't from hounding. I assume Sue understands
the studio and production systems and how many unique signed pieces
end up in private collections. Let's put it this way, very few
production employees and individual investors are autograph
collectors. I have a lot of respect for those who obtain on the
street and go to conventions, premieres, junkets, etc. I used to do
it myself and I realize what is involved.

there's always something huh strickler???

m

So is this guilty until proven innocent then? Because there are alot of
forgers out there we should assume everyone is guilty? I'm sorry but I find
it easier to live with myself if I give someone the benefit of the doubt
until they prove that they can't be trusted.

There are a couple people on here and other groups that I consider friends
and are top notch people. These are people (Sue included) that I would not
have met or dealt with if I had the "everyone is a forger" mentality.

I don't want to imply that you trust everyone but you don't assume the worst
unless you have something alittle more damning than one bad review.

cheers,
Glenn

P.S. I could be mistaken but Gummby didn't seem to be standing up for
anyone specifically.


"Sign4Me" wrote in message
. ..
Sorry Mike (gummby3), but you are wrong here. Over 80% of autographs out
there are fake and ALL sellers need to be held to high standards, so while
you say there is no solid evidence, what gives you the right to stand up
for this guy. Did you go and look at his 15 Harrison Ford autographs to
compare to known in-person ones or did you just assume he must have done
signings with all of Star Wars and Harry Potter, etc? Did you look at his
dozen Star Wars cast signed photos to see if they were even remotely
close? You're wrong here. No seller deserves a defense unless you take
the time to confirm they are one of the 20% of the good guys out there.
Until then, Sue, Barefoot, and anyone else who wants to call out forgers,
please keep doing so. None of the references this guy touted about has
come on here in his defense. Let's hear from them! If you bought even 1
autograph from Strickler Sports, get it looked at by your favorite trusted
source and let us know what they say. If you haven't, go look at this guys
stuff. Enough is enough! This one is a no brainer.

"Gummby3" wrote in message
...
Ultimately, nobody is guilty unless there is evidence that can not be
disputed. Keep in mind that people have put your reputation on task
several times, but I discard those too as nobody has every provided
evidence that is more than hearsay. I know that you have provided the
"a" is the same avenue, but that is far from concrete. I showed that
with the Hall IP compared to his Hall for sale. I personally know people
that have an "a" at the beginning of one of their names that makes that
basic design. Celebs, I can name one more off the top of my head:
Arsenio Hall. If I recall, his signature was even part of the opening
credits of his talk show, at one time. I understand that you feel that
you are doing the collecting community a service, and I applaud you for
that, but all I'm reading right now is inconclusive assumptions, just as
they were with you.

--


Mike
Gummby3
-= Star Collector =-
www.star-collector.net
Celebrity addresses the way they should be - free.


"barefoot" wrote in message
...
i think it's funny how in strickler's mind, everyone is accused of
misconduct...but not his, he's infallable.
m





----== Posted via Pronews.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet
News==----
http://www.pronews.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 100,000
Newsgroups
---= - Total Privacy via Encryption =---

"Gummby3" wrote in message
...
I'm giving the benefit of the doubt, which I provide to anybody.

Good for you. :-)




faceless screen names where anybody can say anything about anyone and not
have to suffer the consequences. Unless there is hard evidence that
Strickler is forging or has forged anything, it's unfounded. Have I
purchased anything from him? No. I can't afford the extravagant prices
that come with some of the autographs. I'm simply reading what's being
posted, which seems to have come out of left field very recently. Just as
I read all of the posts about Barefoot and the very odd accusations
(non-autograph related) with a grain of salt, I'm doing the same here.
It's just my opinion. Unless there is hard evidence: complaints, police
reports, investigations (that are provable), then it's he said/he said and
I'm just as right as the next person. I have been in this hobby, not the
business that it's morphed into, for almost 30 years. I know that there
are a lot of forged autographs out there. Anybody that claims otherwise
is mislead. Did I go look at the autographs? No. Why should I. I am
not an expert and my findings would be baseless. I definitely am not
posting this to get into a dispute. I am simply posting my opinion.
Everyone is entitled to an opinion until facts prove otherwise. :-)

--


Mike
Gummby3
-= Star Collector =-
www.star-collector.net
Celebrity addresses the way they should be - free.


"Sign4Me" wrote in message
. ..
Sorry Mike (gummby3), but you are wrong here. Over 80% of autographs out
there are fake and ALL sellers need to be held to high standards, so
while you say there is no solid evidence, what gives you the right to
stand up for this guy. Did you go and look at his 15 Harrison Ford
autographs to compare to known in-person ones or did you just assume he
must have done signings with all of Star Wars and Harry Potter, etc? Did
you look at his dozen Star Wars cast signed photos to see if they were
even remotely close? You're wrong here. No seller deserves a defense
unless you take the time to confirm they are one of the 20% of the good
guys out there. Until then, Sue, Barefoot, and anyone else who wants to
call out forgers, please keep doing so. None of the references this guy
touted about has come on here in his defense. Let's hear from them! If
you bought even 1 autograph from Strickler Sports, get it looked at by
your favorite trusted source and let us know what they say. If you
haven't, go look at this guys stuff. Enough is enough! This one is a no
brainer.




----== Posted via Pronews.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet
News==----
http://www.pronews.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 100,000
Newsgroups
---= - Total Privacy via Encryption =---

I too agree with everyone gets a chance. You just can't go taking
words of people... especially when there is dealer competition and
suspect reasons for slamming someone.

The problem arises is once the cat is out of the bag, even a hint of
it, there always remains a shroud. Sad I think.


On Tue, 25 Mar 2008 22:57:18 GMT, "Glenn \(SBfan2000\)"
wrote:

So is this guilty until proven innocent then? Because there are alot of
forgers out there we should assume everyone is guilty? I'm sorry but I find
it easier to live with myself if I give someone the benefit of the doubt
until they prove that they can't be trusted.

There are a couple people on here and other groups that I consider friends
and are top notch people. These are people (Sue included) that I would not
have met or dealt with if I had the "everyone is a forger" mentality.

I don't want to imply that you trust everyone but you don't assume the worst
unless you have something alittle more damning than one bad review.

cheers,
Glenn

P.S. I could be mistaken but Gummby didn't seem to be standing up for
anyone specifically.


"Sign4Me" wrote in message
...
Sorry Mike (gummby3), but you are wrong here. Over 80% of autographs out
there are fake and ALL sellers need to be held to high standards, so while
you say there is no solid evidence, what gives you the right to stand up
for this guy. Did you go and look at his 15 Harrison Ford autographs to
compare to known in-person ones or did you just assume he must have done
signings with all of Star Wars and Harry Potter, etc? Did you look at his
dozen Star Wars cast signed photos to see if they were even remotely
close? You're wrong here. No seller deserves a defense unless you take
the time to confirm they are one of the 20% of the good guys out there.
Until then, Sue, Barefoot, and anyone else who wants to call out forgers,
please keep doing so. None of the references this guy touted about has
come on here in his defense. Let's hear from them! If you bought even 1
autograph from Strickler Sports, get it looked at by your favorite trusted
source and let us know what they say. If you haven't, go look at this guys
stuff. Enough is enough! This one is a no brainer.

"Gummby3" wrote in message
...
Ultimately, nobody is guilty unless there is evidence that can not be
disputed. Keep in mind that people have put your reputation on task
several times, but I discard those too as nobody has every provided
evidence that is more than hearsay. I know that you have provided the
"a" is the same avenue, but that is far from concrete. I showed that
with the Hall IP compared to his Hall for sale. I personally know people
that have an "a" at the beginning of one of their names that makes that
basic design. Celebs, I can name one more off the top of my head:
Arsenio Hall. If I recall, his signature was even part of the opening
credits of his talk show, at one time. I understand that you feel that
you are doing the collecting community a service, and I applaud you for
that, but all I'm reading right now is inconclusive assumptions, just as
they were with you.

--


Mike
Gummby3
-= Star Collector =-
www.star-collector.net
Celebrity addresses the way they should be - free.


"barefoot" wrote in message
...
i think it's funny how in strickler's mind, everyone is accused of
misconduct...but not his, he's infallable.
m





----== Posted via Pronews.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet
News==----
http://www.pronews.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 100,000
Newsgroups
---= - Total Privacy via Encryption =---

i'm really not trying to give the "everyone is a forger" vibe...
i'm just pointing out that this guy seems to have NOTHING that is
real. i pointed out that his damons and eastwoods look nothing like
EVERYONE elses stuff...and i was showing a point that whoever is
selling him his stuff, it's all in the same handwriting (thuse the A's
in the three signatures i pointed out.)
but this is a VERY SMALL group. and i'm sure what i showed was passed
over pretty quickly. and i know that even thought it's obvious to me,
i'm sure that to other people, it's not so obvious.
i can go on to point out a lot of falsehoods in both his statements
AND his items. and i probably will...but this all starts out with me
asking him to really, hardcore, question his source. he does seem to
be trying to be an honest person stuck in a bad situation...but i'm
pretty sure that i could point out that EVERYTHING he is selling IS
NOT REAL.
and i'm also trying to show people that even the people who think they
know what they are buying, really aren't all that informed and that
the buying public really isn't up to par. and that's how these people
get away with it.

Sadly, a person like strickler is looking to make a quick buck. so
he's buying cheap and trusting a few sources that just aren't giving
him an honest deal. and i do totally believe that...and i wouldn't
attack him like i am, but he's lied about me AND threatened physical
violence...so this is my recourse...i'm BEGGING HIM to prove to me
that his stuff is real. but he can not. he wouldn't even dare send one
thing into the authenticators, much less the 100 that i'm asking him.
i'll state my own money that i'm correct. which is not something he's
willing to do.

and i'm not going to back off...when i have more time, i'll show some
other instances.
m

You know, the most interesting thing about this entire situation is "why do
I need to prove anything to barefoot?".

Like I stated, I am in an unique position when acquiring and any serious
dealer would understand what I'm getting at. I had come on these boards
originally to discusss the hobby....see where it has gotten me. Frankly,
I've had several dealers who have read these threads over the many months
and have advised to me to just stop posting and ignore barefoot because of
his bad reputation.

I think I'm going to heed that advice. This merry-go-round is going
nowhere.

--
Message posted using http://www.talkaboutcollecting.com/g...ng.autographs/
More information at http://www.talkaboutcollecting.com/faq.html