12 replies to this topic

[CrumbyButtons]

I did a google search and didn't find this, I hope I'm not wrong!

I think this show is really interesting. Finding out how they can authenticate antiques and collectables is really cool. But, just like with Antiques Roadshow, I feel so bad when it's not real! The guy tonight with the baseball card, sort of broke my heart. But at the same time, the lettering on the baseball shirt was obviously different from the original - didn't he research it at all? Wouldn't the guy from Canada who boxed it have some background in spotting fakes? I thought it was funny when the treasure detective told him to carry it in a brown paper bag (rather than a metal briefcase), because no one mugs you for a pint of milk!

Didn't feel as bad for the tiffany lamp guy. Because he still has a beautiful lamp. And there's a story in it because someone took a lot of time and put a lot of effort into faking it! All the baseball card guy has is a piece of paper with no value for which he paid (IIRC) $1,800!

[scootypuffjr]

Yes, I enjoyed this show too - it's a different and interesting kind of reality show, IMO - and agree with everything you said. (A bit of trivia - as I understand it, the Honus Wagner card is such a rarity because Wagner disapproved of smoking, didn't want to encourage kids to buy cigarettes and so he demanded that the company stop using his image to promote their product.) I did feel bad for that guy - it must be very hard to go from being a multi-millionaire to having "nothing" in a split second's time. I thought he handled it all extremely well.

I thought the lamp was gorgeous, Tiffany or not. If that guy wants to get rid of it, I will be happy to take it off his hands and give it a good home.

I am curious about the Stradivarius next week - I have heard that all the Stradivarius violins are accounted for, with no new ones to find. If I know that, I'm sure the experts do too, so I wonder what the take on that will be?

[Arynm]

I could not believe the strat was real!! I told my husband that it could not be because they had all been accounted for. How embarrassing. On the other hand, the guy who showed his ass over the Les Paul guitar should have been more embarrassed. Curtis told him it was real, why did he get all crazy? Auction prices are just what someone will pay on a given day, so who cares what the expert says its worth? The guy should have gone out sold the guitar for 500,000 and rubbed it in Curtis face. Unless, of course, Curtis was right and the guitar is worth what he paid for it.

[Studentpilot]

Curtis told him it was real, why did he get all crazy?

Because Curtis WAS right and the guitar is only really worth what he paid for it. Everyone connected with Les Paul said that there was nothing special about this guitar - that the fact that it was on the cover of the bio was for stylistic reasons. Curtis was trying to explain to him that this was NOT Paul's favorite guitar.

I wish him luck in his lawsuit. Maybe after he sees the video he'll realize what an absolute asshat he really was and that the opinions of everyone in a position to know was that this was not a favorite Paul guitar.

Good luck on eBay, moron.

As it turns out, after I posted this, I went back and took a peak - sure enough that clown did list that guitar for $500,000 on eBay - he got 92 offers, all of which were declined. And after this episode of Treasure Detectives, he's toast. He came across as a quick-buck artist who doesn't know nearly what he thinks he does about collectable guitars.

Notice, for instance, for someone who claimed to know SO much about Les Paul, right down to the markings on the guitar case, he knew NOTHING about Paul's frets overhanging the neck and the interior markings "for Les Paul."

Edited by Studentpilot, Mar 27, 2013 @ 2:04 PM.

[bilgistic]

I am curious about the Stradivarius next week - I have heard that all the Stradivarius violins are accounted for, with no new ones to find. If I know that, I'm sure the experts do too, so I wonder what the take on that will be?

My emphasis in the quote was discussed recently on VH1 Classic's For What It's Worth, which is an interesting show about valuing music memorabilia, so I was skeptical about the Stradivarius, having seen that show.

The scene with the guy losing his cool over the Les Paul guitar seemed extremely staged and I lost faith in Treasure Detectives over that. I guess it's just another "reality" show, and not the serious investigative program that it purports to be.

[scootypuffjr]

Unfortunately, I do not get VH1 Classics - I am sure I would prefer it to the regular VH1, and that show sounds interesting. I am glad I was not the only one who thought that all the Strads had been accounted for - when that one turned out to be legit, I was worried perhaps I had dreamed the whole thing! On the other hand, it's not like some local yokel came in with a violin he had found in his attic or at a flea market, thinking he had found a previously undiscovered Strad. I've deleted the show, but I guess it's possible this very well-to-do man had bought one of the authenticated Strads and the Treasure Detectives wanted to verify and showcase either the violin, their methods, or both. I don't mind that - it was interesting enough - but IF there are no undiscovered Strads (I believe each one was named, even) they should have said something to that effect and perhaps saved someone from being cheated, or at least believing they have hit the proverbial jackpot. Perhaps someone who knows more than I could straighten me out on that.

That Les Paul guitar guy sure turned out to be BSC. The guitar was authenticated, it was the same one shown on the cover of the autobiography - it just wasn't worth as much as what he thought it should be. People always seem to forget that something is only worth what someone else is willing to pay for it. Perhaps someone does want it badly enough to overpay, just not to the tune of $500,000. I am not a member of eBay - what kind of offers did he receive and refuse when he did list it?

ETA - Thanks for the info, Studentpilot. Very interesting.

Edited by scootypuffjr, Mar 29, 2013 @ 6:06 PM.

[Studentpilot]

Here's his description of the item on eBay - he appears to have listed it on March 3rd.

This Beautiful and Historically significant Gibson White Les Paul Custom Guitar is The Les Paul White Custom from the cover of Les Paul's Autobiography "In His Own Words" and many other promotional photos from that time… 100% Authenticated. No ifs, ands, or buts about it… We have been contacted by the former Gibson Artist Relations Rep who gave Les this guitar and he also affirms this to be "THE GUITAR". This guitar was especially made for Les Paul himself as a special gift to the Master from The Gibson Custom Shop in 2002, commemorating 50 years from the time Gibson made the very first Les Paul Guitar in 1952.

EVERY INDIVIDUAL FROM LES' INNER CIRCLE AND THE PEOPLE 'IN-THE-KNOW' AT GIBSON USA ALL KNOW WHAT THIS GUITAR IS, AND HAVE CONTACTED US - WE ARE TRULY HONORED TO NOW OWN THIS PIECE... THIS IS YOUR CHANCE TO OWN A PIECE OF HISTORY!

(Emphasis in caps his)

Depending on when he got the word on this, it would appear that his claim is a whole lot of puffery, if not outright LIES, since the individuals Treasure Detectives talked said the complete opposite of what he's claiming. If he thought Treasure Detectives would spark interest in his guitar after multiple failures to sell it on eBay, he was sadly mistaken. I think he realized he'd never see that huge payday once the segment aired, and that's why he was so pissed off and threatening litigation.

[CrumbyButtons]

I usually feel bad for the people that are wrong about their treasure - but not the Les Paul guy! Thank you for making me not feel bad about you not getting the news you wanted! What an a-hole!

The "cape handler" guy for James Brown looked more like a drawing or a painting than a real person. Kinda cool.

I think it's funny how they always wait to go to the real experts until after going to people who only give a little piece of the puzzle. But it certainly makes good tv! I do like seeing how a "treasure" can be looked at in different ways, and what could give away a forgery. It's staged, sure, but still very interesting and informative!

[Hyacinth B]

Completed Ebay listings can be searched for at least a month after the listing ends. The seller ended the listing on March 24 according to Ebay - "This listing was ended by the seller because the item is no longer available" - so it should still be viewable for another 2-3 weeks at least. Search for "LES PAUL'S PERSONAL GIBSON WHITE CUSTOM", seller "guitarmax101".

The guitar has been listed at least since July 22, 2012 with numerous revisions (description, shipping terms, photos, etc). There's no information about what the actual offers were but they also go back to July 2012. Too bad Mister Greedy didn't grab one of those offers when he had the chance.

As for tonight's episide - I had a strong feeling that the Mormon books were the real deal. The bookseller is a frequent appraiser on Antiques Roadshow and seems to have a good feeling for his specialty.

The Cufflink story had to be bogus. I can just imagine the reaction of someone as self-obsessed as Nixon if he saw Neil Armstrong giving cufflinks he, Nixon, had given him, to a chef. Not to mention the fact that Armstrong had too much class to have even thought of giving away a personal gift from a president right in front of him. Nothing about that story sounded right.

Edited by Hyacinth B, Apr 3, 2013 @ 9:55 PM.

[CrumbyButtons]

Armstrong had too much class to have even thought of giving away a personal gift from a president right in front of him. Nothing about that story sounded right.

I would actually think a little less of Armstrong (or any of the other astronauts) if he did give them away, because, yes, that would be low-class! Even if it wasn't in front of Nixon. A gift from a president commemorating a historic feat should be treasured by the recipient and handed down to family or the Smithsonian.

I would love to know how the story/lie about the cufflinks started. Did Grandpa actually tell it? I just don't get why someone would tell such a whopper.

[bilgistic]

I enjoy this show, Les Paul guitar guy aside. I'm glad I came across this topic, or else I never would have seen the show.

The last episode was weird. The "furniture expert" licking the table was just beyond. The table's provenance ended up ultimately being, er, proven, by wills and documentation, and the owner didn't really need the experts/researchers for that, but it was interesting, nonetheless.

I didn't understand the painting situation. Virtually nothing about it proved that it was of the period, yet they verified it was authentic. I am glad b/c it's in my state and I'm all for preserving our resources and history.

[nottopbravo]

Reality show crossover:

The fellow who had the hockey mask prototype was wearing a "Face Off" hat and t-shirt (which seemed odd). Then we see the employee who made the cast of the mask was none other than Wayne Anderson from Season 4 of Face Off (and made it to the final three). Interesting.

Edited by nottopbravo, Apr 21, 2013 @ 11:08 AM.

[bilgistic]

I noticed that, nottopbravo. When Wayne appeared, I went, "Hey, it's that guy!" and then realized who it was.