Fakes and repro fraud aside, is it just me or does anyone else feel
disgusted by this woman getting sooooo upset that her Star Wars toys
aren't going to make her rich? I realize these are prototypes, but the
mere fact that she's obviously in it only for the money really, really
sucks. Just one more sign of the Great Toy Apocalypse...
Regards, Scottie
Salfamily
March 1 1998
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.misc
>I'm very interested in what everyone's take on this is.
>(Gus? Eric? Chris? Phil? and especially Ron!)
Please do refer to the short posting of Gus' in the Archive that Chris Maybury
refers to elsewhere in this thread. I apologize, but I am really very tired of
responding to inquiries about this article and explaining the situation.
Believe me, there is alot of explaining.
Ms. Brooks has an agenda--one motivated by greed--that the writer of this paper
is supporting, without having properly researched the subject.
Some 4 months ago, two guys who it now turns out were in league with Virginia
Brooks, began emailing Gus, chris g. and myself, and proceded to accuse us of
being involved in a hobby-wide conspiracy to produce, promote and sell fake
prototypes. In Virginia's estimation *everything* in the Archive is fake, and
its all aimed at devaluing her shitty "find"--a box of 328 common, unpainted
Micro Collection figures, each having a value on the order of $5 each. We laid
our claims on the table, explained the full extent of our research into the
subject, and tolerated the outright weirdness of their responses to the best of
our ability. From the start, however, "Lou" and "Tim" took a very accusatory
tone, expressed alot of anger, and ran in circles with us, appearing to have
not listened to our explanations. This all ended with alot of veiled threats on
the part of L and T, implying basically that we'd soon see our day in hell.
Then, on Friday the 13th (Virginia's a strange woman), Gus got a threatening
"invitation," which you can read in the Archive. I think you can see the raving
tone of it yourself. We have about 2 dozen emails from L and T that pretty much
echo it exactly.
Anyway, then this article showed up. Its all alot of hooey, people.
>I have a many qualms with what this lady and Hasbro's legal dept. are
>claiming, but I'll leave the commentary to the true experts. :)
Well, I'm glad you say that, because we *are* the experts here. I don't care
how many legal guys Hasbro has with papers saying such and such was never
produced. That's understandable--from their standpoint, and as it suits the
function of their positions, those items never *were* produced. They did not
see full-scale production runs or release to the public. End of story on their
end.
But we've talked to the people who've concepted and prototyped these items; we
have the hard evidence and so do others all over the world. Just take a look at
the Archive and choose for yourself. If you want to believe that all the
injection molded metal prototypes, production-quality playsets, box proofs, 4up
hardcopy figures, and whatever else we have in there is the work of one rogue
Kenner employee and a team of vicious collectors, then so be it. We have no
economic motive for all of this. We do it because we love it and because we
care about the toy line. Virginia Brooks can stuff her Micro figures up her
ass and shit lead for the rest of her life for all I care, because she doesn't
care about this stuff past the profit she can turn on it.
As for the implications of the article, namely those that both I and the Earth
have contributed to the devaluing of Virginia's figures and the proliferation
of counterfeit items, I think you can figure it out for yourself that those are
terribly false. The figures I have produced have been advertised as replicas,
not as fakes; are made of resin, not metal; bear numbers; and have not exceeded
30 pieces each. Furthermore, I have not made a profit on them, but have
provided them to the collecting community both because I love doing it, and
because I want people to be able to own examples of them. This is not a
business and not a scam.
For the record, unpainted, common Micro figures can be found today for $5, just
as they could be 10 years ago. The value has not changed significantly, and I
certainly have had no hand in setting it. Ms. Brooks would do well to take the
$1500+ (she paid $15, remember) she could get for them and be happy. If anyone
is interested in offering her "hundreds of thousands of dollars" for her
figures, you might be able to get her number off of bigfoot.com. You might also
consider dipping yourold Micro figures in paint stripper. I believe a good one
can be found for under $10.
ron
Salfamily
March 1 1998
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.misc
>aren't going to make her rich? I realize these are prototypes, but
They're "prototypes" only in the most liberal sense. You might say they're
"pre-production," because they haven't yet gone through the painting process,
but they're really just regular, unpainted figures.
And, yes, Virginia's quest for the Hundred Thousand Dollar Collectible, is more
than a little yucky.
ron
RACER
March 1 1998
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.misc
In my opinion, if you customize/create your own figures, just don't "market"
them as authentic. Make sure the customers are told these are not from
Kenner, Hasbro, Galob, Lucas, etc.
Jay Pennington
March 1 1998
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.misc
Thanks, Ron, for rehashing what must be to you a very tedious tale by
now.
You've confirmed the suspcions I've had since I read that "news item":
this lady's nuts! :)
(and in retrospect, it may not have been appropriate for me to post
this publicly, for which I apologize.)
stuntboy
March 1 1998
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.misc
> i would like to comment on one part about that whole report, the problem
> they have with people making and selling or trading unproduced custom
> figures. hey, if they dont make a figure, i dont see any problem with us
> making and trading customs on a small scale. i could see if they were
> being mass produced and sold, but for starwars fans who want a character
> that wont get produced cause kenner doesnt think it will "sell" well
> enough, then we should be alowed to fend for ourselves. some people have
this really isn't a case of them cracking down on customizing. you see,
virginia brooks doesn't know diddely about this stuff and she's mixing facts
all over the place. we pointed it out months ago but she doesn't listen.
virginia has mixed and matched: unpainted micro collection figures, unproduced
micro collection figures, ral partha conceptual micros for kenner, ron's
reproductions, and star trek galore (bootleg) figurines. all of these look
"micro" to the lay person, but they are indeed different beasts. if you don't
know the difference then it only invites trouble - which brings us to the
present of course!
the premise is this is that she sees unpainted micro collection figures
selling for upwards of $600 each and she knows that she has 300 of them and
thinks that she's found her goldmine. she asks around and realizes that the
figures selling for $600 each are for the unproduced playsets and she doesn't
have any of those. her figures are all common and widely sold for a few
dollars each. she "contacts" kenner about this (thru the 800 nunber? get
real!) and they tell her they have no paperwork stating that the unproduced
playset figures were ever sent to a vendor to be made (regardless of the fact
that they exist). it's unfortunate that someone at kenner supposedly gave her
this incomplete information because this "fuel" somehow legitimizes the
"rarity" of her stuff (in her mind).
later she sees that ron is making copies of the unproduced figures. the
trouble is that she made no effort to realize that the figures ron made and
the figures that the earth is selling for $600 are only similar in look
(repros). they are not the same thing as the newspaper article implies. when
you read the paper it seems like ron is making these things and the earth is
selling them - defrauding the public. nothing could be farther from the
truth. like ron mentioned earlier, his stuff is resin (marked as repros) and
the real figures are metal with their original kenner markings. the problem
is that the average person or collector has to make his distinction or else
they will be misled - as is the case here. as gus pointed out, virginia
thinks this is a grand conspiracy to defraud the collecting public.
the fact is that virginia didn't know what she had, ran her mouth and then got
pissed because of it. it's the hobby's biggest case of sour grapes.
believe me, it's virginia's word against everyone else's. it's unfortunate
that this lunatic had to make such a big stink about it because it's only
gonna fall right back in her own lap.
we have all the proof, all the emails and all the knowledge here. virginia
brooks has incomplete information at best and it would take minimal effort to
show her "supporters" (if they even care about her at this point) what the
situation really is and what virginia's motivation really is.
plus, the bottom line is that she's just, plain WRONG.
-chris
Richard Cox
March 1 1998
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.misc
> aren't going to make her rich? I realize these are prototypes, but the
Heh, only if you consider unpainted production figures prototypes. :^)
Richard
Scottie Prince
March 1 1998
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.misc
>They're "prototypes" only in the most liberal sense. You might say they're
>"pre-production," because they haven't yet gone through the painting process,
>but they're really just regular, unpainted figures.
I knew I should have waited to respond until those involved explained
things. As usual, the news report is nowhere near the truth. This woman
is, pardon my language, a greedy, lying bitch. Someone should dip *her* in
paint thinner.
Regards,
Scottie
Gus Lopez
March 1 1998
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.misc
>Rick Adams wrote:
>Already she has
>enticed Kenner to say that the selling of custom figures makes them loose
>money.
One of the really absurd things about her claim is that Kenner *doesn't*
even have the license for micro scale figures anymore! Galoob and West
End Games do. If she convinced any folks at Kenner that there might have
been some impact on their sales (big if), it's my hunch that those Kenner
people thought she was talking about the 3 3/4 inch figures, not small
metal micro figures.
>Again, I suggest we find the address of the
>paper that wrote this story, and bombard them with mail asking why they
>printed such an article with so little research. And, why they printed an
>article for someone looking to make nothing but a profit!
Excellent idea. I did some calling around today and it appears that the
article was placed on the AP wire by a newspaper called the Winter Haven
News Chief in Winter Haven, Florida. Their number is 941-291-6142. The
writer of the story is named Rick Kenney. I don't have an address yet for
mailing in letters to the editor, but I will try to track that down
tomorrow. Be sure to send a copy to Mr. Kenney, the editor of the News
Chief, and the Associated Press, if you decide to write.
Also, if you write a letter, be very careful to qualify any statement you
make, particularly about Ms. Brooks or Kenner. In other words, if you
believe she is say motivated to lie due to greed, be sure to preface it
with "I believe she is lying because...", "In my opinion, ...", "The
evidence suggests to me that ...", etc.
Brewing Tea
March 2 1998
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.misc
>i would like to comment on one part about that whole report, the problem they
:>have with people making and selling or trading unproduced custom figures
I totally agree with what you say (even though I snipped it), but I
wouldn't worry about your "rights". They can't legally stop you from
creating anything with your own time and effort.
If you try to sell them for a profit, they might, but if you're merely
trading one custom for another, with no money involved, they can't
touch you!
I mean, just because you used Luke's head to make a figure, who's to
say it's a LFL character? Just call it "Joe Smith", and they can't
sue you for copyright infringement! Also, if you're just an
individual making customs, they aren't going to bother with a "small
fish" like you... no offense. :)
>I never heard of the navy having anyone arrested cause they
>built a model of an F-14
Great point! LOL!
Brewing Tea -- He's brisk, baby!
Rick Adams
March 2 1998
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.misc
My problem is that she is disclaiming things that we have proof of. We all
know that it is not impossible to get our hands on legitimate protos. In fact,
it's quite easy if you look in the right places. And how has she even gotten
this far? How did she get her tragic, heartbreaking story of not making
enough money in a paper anyway? She is discounting people that have more
knowledge of SW collectibles than the head of Kenner, Galoob and every other
SW toy company.
Also, why don't we write that paper that printed the story and let our voices
be heard. If they listen to someone who thinks Steve Sansweet is a liar, than
they would have to listed to us. If she wants to make a big deal about how
rare her figures that I could make with a little paint thinner are, then I
think we need to prove her wrong. It's people like this that bring a market
and it's collectors to it's knees if they are allowed to.
Already she has enticed Kenner to say that the selling of custom figures makes them
loose money. For figures like Aunt Beru, Wuher and other figures, this is the only
way we can get them. Some of us are not good at making customs, so we rely on
the market of customs to get some figures. If she ruins the customs market by
making Kenner take a look into things.....
I guess I am just shocked at how she thinks every proto but hers are locked up
in Kenner's Proto Vault, and how she can disclaim Steve Sansweet, Gus Lopez
and other well known collector.
Again, I suggest we find the address of the paper that wrote this story, and bombard
them with mail asking why they printed such an article with so little research. And,
why they printed an article for someone looking to make nothing but a profit! If she paid
$15, she should not expect to make hundreds of thousands. Also, she certainly does not
know a thing about collecting. How does she know her really rare (gag) figures
went down in price after the Internet became "popular"?
Rick Adams
Ted Sallis
March 2 1998
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.misc
> I suggest we find the address of the
>paper that wrote this story, and bombard them with mail asking why they
>printed such an article with so little research. And, why they printed an
>article for someone looking to make nothing but a profit
That's easy! Go to Gus Lopez' page at http://www.toysrgus.com/
and go to the news section, it is the current lead story and he has the webpage
of the rag that printed the article along with a link to the editor of said
rag. I already sent him a scathing note on his paper's lack of professional
integrity and pointed out the fact that he had allowed his paper to become a
tool of a petty vindictive person with a private agenda (namely to make money).
Let the flood begin!
TS
Michael Mierzwa
March 2 1998
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.misc
Salfamily wrote:
> But we've talked to the people who've concepted and prototyped these items; we
> have the hard evidence and so do others all over the world. Just take a look at
> the Archive and choose for yourself.
I did. It is pretty see IMHO to see where her purse ... oppps, I mean
motives lie.
Frankly I am begining to get tired of people like Mrs. Brooks and
P.Taylor who threaten to bring legal action every time somebody points
out that they aren't passing around super rare items. It is incredibly
easy to threaten to sue people for warning others about your scams,
especially considering that you have nothing to loose. :(
Michael Mierzwa
Rick Adams
March 2 1998
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.misc
I just figured I would get everyone's approval for this letter to the editor
of the paper that printed Virginia Brook's story. Also, if you agree with
everything in this letter, feel free to e-mail itto:
mdeco...@flatoday.infi.net I want this paper to print a retraction. Virginia
Brooks has caused enough trouble causing Gus, Steve and the other people that
were accused. I think it is time we show VB, Lou, Tim and the paper that there
are tons of people that disagree with VB. back on behalf of the accused. If
she continues her scalping crusade, then even the Customs newsgroup will be
shut down. So I request we all go back to the source that caused her voice to
be heard. And, let me know if you think this letter is all right. I really
don't want to be sued by Mrs. Brooks for slander, seeing as how she will most
likely get a copy of it.
I must say that I am appalled at your article on Virginia Brooks story. From
Also, seeing as how you did very little research into this article, I thought
Brooks is not alone in her concern. "One web site
Another one of the people Virginia Brooks accuses is the Lucasfilm
As far as I can tell, Virginia Brooks wants people to think her micro
I do not see how this depreciates the market for real prototypes. I will know
I request that you print a retraction. Virginia Brooks has accused the most
Again, if you agree with this letter, e-mail it to mdeco...@flatoday.infi.net!
In your article, you post this: Brooks is not alone in her concern. "One web
ToysRGus is the archive this paper talks about. And guess who is accused of
stuntboy
> Also, if you write a letter, be very careful to qualify any statement you
i'm at odds as to whether or not to suggest that people write in. you (gus),
i just want to do the best thing here, not necessarily try to tackle it all by
Lech Burakowski
Hi, I haven't been on the net much lately,
Adam
DWonnenberg
> i'm at odds as to whether or not to suggest that people write in. you (gus),
I think you're right on Chris. Obviously most people here are behind
All this issue will take to be resolved is having Chris, Ron, Gus,
If Chris, Ron, and Gus think that letters from others will help, then by
Just an opinion,
Michael Mierzwa
> Virginia
I think the thing that bothers me is that she is perfectly happy to cry
I think that people really ought to form their own opinions, but
> If
No chance. Her crusade is way off to begin with, but remember the
BTW: I highly doubt Mrs. Brooks even knows of the existance of the
Michael Mierzwa
SWFan1977
I don't know what I find more sickening, the thought of this woman acusing some
Sorry for the long post
Salfamily
>I just figured I would get everyone's approval for this letter to the editor
I largely agree with chris in that it might be best only for us very "involved"
It'd be a good idea to write in, but you'd have to stick to basic points and
>of the paper that printed Virginia Brook's story. Also, if you agree with
This is what I mean. Neither Gus or Steve are mentioned in that letter. The
In my letter, I touched on things like:
o I can attest to the fact that unpainted Micro figures sell for around $5
o that unproduced prototype Micro figures exist is a well-proven fact, and that
o that replicas that Ron Salvatore (me--I'm specifically mentioned in the
o that these repros have in no way effected the market value of any Micro
o that the Earth is a long-standing and well-respected collectibles store that
I can go on, but you get the idea. These are my opinions (I also see them as
Respond with your own opinions and to what you feel is important; but do so
Remember that the main issue of the article is that Ms. Brooks' figures have in
I'll post my letter soon.
Brennan Swain
> I largely agree with chris in that it might be best only for us very "involved"
In my opinion it would be best for only those with an educated knowledge
> In my letter, I touched on things like:
> o that unproduced prototype Micro figures exist is a well-proven fact, and that
> o that replicas that Ron Salvatore (me--I'm specifically mentioned in the
> o that these repros have in no way effected the market value of any Micro
> o that the Earth is a long-standing and well-respected collectibles store that
These ARE the types of things that will pull weight with the paper, not
> I can go on, but you get the idea. These are my opinions (I also see them as
> Respond with your own opinions and to what you feel is important; but do so
Well said!
Brennan
Darren Marrese II
This is new to me, but this Virginia lady sounds like another
Once the SEs hit, and all the news reports began to spread about
Consider this joke: a few particular 'capitalists' I talked to at a show
You determine the moral of this story...
--
Click here for part 2 of this thread.
the looks of the story, you did very little research. Those figurines are not
very rare. And, if she sells them today, she will still make money.
you should know this: Several well known collectors on the internet are being
accused by Virginia Brooks of promoting fake prototype figures. In your
article, you post this:
featuring a collectors archive is currently posting a warning about an
overseas dealer." Guess what? The web master of this web site is one
of the accused.
representative of Star Wars Collecting. She accuses the most popular and most
educated Star Wars collector. Steve Sansweet writes books about SW collecting.
If he promotes false prototypes, then so does Lucasfilm.
prototypes are the only prototypes that escaped Kenner. As I said earlier,
these are some of the most common "real" prototypes available. But for some
of us collectors who like to have "neat" collectibles, buying "fake"
prototypes is the only way we can enjoy a test shot figure. I, for one, do not
have the "hundreds of thousands" that Virginia Brooks wants for her
prototypes. I am not a gifted customizer of figures, but do enjoy having
a figure that never made it to the retail market. Some people are generous and
offer these figures at their cost.
that any custom figure I buy is just that, a custom, and that if I want a real
one, I will pay a lot more for it. I have done this on a few occasions. But,
let me remind you, these are for figures that were never made, or for figures
that were only "test shots". Virginia Brooks figures are just the micro
figures with a little bit of paint thinner. There is no demand for these
figures. In my, and many collectors opinions, the unpainted micro figures are
worth less, because they are not near as attractive as a fully painted figure.
well known collectors in the world of promoting fake protos. Also, as I said
earlier, she says that the reason for her figures only selling for about $5
(what they really go for) a piece is the Internet and fake prototypes. This is
wrong. It is because there is no demand for her unfinished figures. I would
pay more for a painted version than an unpainted version of her figures.
If you read the letter, you will see this:
site featuring a collectors archive is currently posting a warning about an
overseas dealer." Guess what? The web master of this web site is one
of the accused.
"promoting fake proto's". The webmaster of this site, Gus. The reason I want
this battle to be won by the accused are because of these two reasons: One,
the name of what I call the battle should give you enough of a reason:
Collectors Vs. Scalpers. The other reason, Steve Sansweet's book and Gus
Lopez's web page are what got me into collecting SW. If she wants to accuse
these two people that got me into SW collecting, I want to show the paper that
I, and a lot of other people back them up fully. So, one more time, if you
agree with my letter, send it to mdeco...@flatoday.infi.net! And also, please
e-mail me if you think this letter is appropriate, as I have not sent it yet.
I really don't want Virginia Brooks to sue me for slander. I'm only 14. I
don't have enough money to pay my dog to be my lawyer. (well, maybe if I stop
buying figures. Nah!)
March 2 1998
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.misc
> make, particularly about Ms. Brooks or Kenner. In other words, if you
> believe she is say motivated to lie due to greed, be sure to preface it
> with "I believe she is lying because...", "In my opinion, ...", "The
> evidence suggests to me that ...", etc.
ron and myself already have ours done and we're gathering addresses of people
to send them to. i almost think that if too many people write in, then it
will water down the issue. since the three of us are the most "involved"
around here, and know many more of the details, our letters would probably
have a better impact. especially since it's not a major issue as far as the
newspaper goes. i mean we have literally pages of information regarding the
issue and the problems with her accusations. not really opinions on the
subject, but rather direct rebuttals for what she has stated in public and in
private and this may be better in the end.
ourselves.
March 2 1998
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.misc
but when I saw this it made me appalled,
Gus, John everybody else you have my support
on this one.
March 2 1998
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.misc
> ron and myself already have ours done and we're gathering addresses of people
> to send them to. i almost think that if too many people write in, then it
> will water down the issue. since the three of us are the most "involved"
> around here, and know many more of the details, our letters would probably
> have a better impact.
you on this, and would like to help in any way. I just don't think that
people not involved in the issue directly could do much good. Sending
letters to the newspaper saying "you suck", or "your story was
unprofessional" is probably not going to help.
Steve, and anyone else directly involved, document their prototypes
(which they can), tell their side of the story, and the rest should take
care of itself.
all means send them, but it might be a good idea to show a copy of the
letter to them before you send it though. Let them have a say as to
whether it would be beneficial to them or not.
David
March 2 1998
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.misc
> Brooks has caused enough trouble causing Gus, Steve and the other people that
> were accused. I think it is time we show VB, Lou, Tim and the paper that there
> are tons of people that disagree with VB. back on behalf of the accused.
victim, and yet imply that Ron is basically cheating people (through
misinformation) ... at least I see it that way.
thankfully the Collector's Archieve has a good amount of information ...
people interested should read there first.
> she continues her scalping crusade, then even the Customs newsgroup will be
> shut down.
internet is not solely a US domain. Although I don't see too many
non-Americans in RASSC.customizing, a single ignorant complaint of a
single person isn't going to hurt the group. It is the individuals that
I'm worried about.
customizing group. Which might be a good thing.
March 3 1998
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.misc
of the best known and well respected Star Wars collectors around, or the
thought of the Associated Press sending a story on it's wire that was obviously
writen without sufficient research. Among the people Ms. Brooks accuses is Mr.
Steve Sansweet. Mr. Sansweet is directly employed by Lucasfilm Ltd. as
Director of Specialty Marketing and has worked with Hasbro/Kenner to promote
their POTF2 line, remember QVC, the Star Wars Insider, and the recent Toy Fair
chat just to mention a few. Wouldn't the author of this article, when doing
his research, realize that a person that works directly with Mr. Lucas does not
have to stoop so low as to promote fake prototypes as real? Common sense would
indicate that Mr. Sansweet would have nothing to gain by associating with fake
Star Wars merchandise. Did the author ever get in contact with any person
acused to get their side of the story?? If he did I am sure Mr. Lopez and the
others would be more than willing to show him the paper trail they have to
authicate their prototypes. I find it unprofessional that the author wrote his
article using only one side of the story. What is even more upsetting is the
fact that the Associated Press added an air of authenticity to this woman's
claim by placing this article on it's wire for world-wide exposure. This woman
does nothing but hurt the people who have a true love for Star Wars and are not
out there to make a quick buck. I hope Mr. Lopez, Mr. Sansweet and the rest
are able to show their side of the story and show that there are people out
there who truly collect for the love of Star Wars.
March 3 1998
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.misc
folks (Gus, chris and myself) to write in. Its hard for someone who hasn't been
in this in depth to know the right things to say.
touch only on topics mentioned in the article, *not* things in Virginia's
letter to Gus.
>everything in this letter, feel free to e-mail itto:
>mdeco...@flatoday.infi.net I want this paper to print a retraction. Virginia
>Brooks has caused enough trouble causing Gus, Steve and the other people that
Archive (Gus' site) is alluded to, but nothing more. Remember that Lou and Tim
and that "invitation" of Ms. Brooks' that is on the Archive, were not printed
and should not be commented on to a large extent in any letters you write.
they are definitely not the products of a conspiracy.
article) have made are impossible to confuse with real MIcro prototypes, which
are made of metal (my repros are resin)
Collection figure.
sells authentic items.
facts), and I don't want to coach you on what to say.
You have to stick to that article, however, and respond to issues such as those
which I've listed above, which are touched on in it.
tactfully, without commenting on things you are yourself unsure of, and without
direct accusation.
some way been devalued due to counterfeits being sold as originals.
ron
March 3 1998
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.misc
> folks (Gus, chris and myself) to write in. Its hard for someone who hasn't been
> in this in depth to know the right things to say.
> It'd be a good idea to write in, but you'd have to stick to basic points and
> touch only on topics mentioned in the article, *not* things in Virginia's
> letter to Gus.
of prototypes and their market value to write in. This may help give
the paper an idea of the opinions' of other knowledgable star wars
collectors outside of those directly involved in the situation.
Obviously the accused will attempt to defend themselves, so the opinion
of a FEW parties who have no stake in the outcome may be valid.
However, it still would be a good idea to run the letters by ron, chris
or gus, but this is only to be sure that only valid points are
discussed. A persons opinion should be just that, their *own* opinion.
> o I can attest to the fact that unpainted Micro figures sell for around $5
> they are definitely not the products of a conspiracy.
> article) have made are impossible to confuse with real MIcro prototypes, which
> are made of metal (my repros are resin)
> Collection figure.
> sells authentic items.
things like "you suck."
> facts), and I don't want to coach you on what to say.
> You have to stick to that article, however, and respond to issues such as those
> which I've listed above, which are touched on in it.
> tactfully, without commenting on things you are yourself unsure of, and without
> direct accusation.
March 3 1998
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.misc
ill-informed capitalist, or, pseudo-collector, who automatically sees
dollar signs where vintage Star Wars is concerned; and plays the market
strictly for $$$, not for the love of it. Here's my experience with a
group of people like her:
'nostalgic', ill-informed collectors paying crazy prices for loose
figures, so did the greed and the speculator scourge.
I went to down south last February, at the height of the SE craze, had
decided to liquidate their old SW toys that had been in their parents'
basement for the last 15 years. I marveled at this price: $100.00 for a
common loose Luke Skywalker? Yeah, right! Apparently these guys didn't
know about those simple things called price guides, and thought that
they were going to make a killing selling their overpriced booty at
their first (and most likely last) toy show appearance. Needless to say,
they were the joke of the show, and had a sudden reality check when they
discovered that the prices they were selling their figures
for--determined by misleading news reports--were for immaculate packaged
items, not beat-up loose ones.
~~Darren Marrese
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