Newsletter 278 January 26, 2018
From: balclava@gmail.com
To: adroyster@hotmail.com
Subject: Alexander Auctions
Date: Fri, 26 September 2018 09:16:26 –0600
Dear Mr. Royster:
In your most excellent columns, I have been following, with admitted sinking feelings, comments about so-called “paper whiteners” and the rather distressing news that they were not used in paper until 1951.
In another posting, I note several articles about the Alexander Auctions that are certainly of a somewhat negative nature.
My unhappiness lies in the fact that I have been purchasing allegedly original German militaria-subject documents from this firm for at least seven years and when I read your comments on the paper whiteners, I at once obtained an ultra-violet light from a stamp store and tested all of my documents and letters.
Regretfully, about 95% of these did, in fact, react to the light, glowing brightly. In checking my records, I have discovered that all but ten of these came from Alexander Auctions and the others from the now-discredited Adrian Forman.
I at once wrote to the auction house with my worries and the owner responded using foul invective aimed both at myself for, as he said “daring to question him,” and towards you upon whom he heaped vulgarity upon vulgarity.
Since the money involved came to somewhat over £ 20,000, I am going to report this matter to both the American authorities, through Scotland Yard, and Europol.
A bit of further investigation on my part has disclosed that this problem (of faked documents) is not a solitary one and that there have been a number of others who have had similar problems.
That these problems have only recently been brought to light thanks to your timely comments, should not have any effect upon legal prosecutions since it has been ruled that a fraud is not deemed to have happened until the victim discovers it.
Thanking you again for your efforts in detecting fakes and their merchants, I remain,
Yours most sincerely,
Brigadier Sir John Mandeville-Repington, GCB, GCVO, CMG, DSO
German 
English (United States)
4 thoughts on “Newsletter 278 January 26, 2018”
Sir:
I am not surprised at any of this. I have had nothing but trouble with auction houses in the past and will no longer deal with them. They sell your things at way over what they list and only give you a little money, or they make other kinds of trouble. And most of the items sold by these firms are fakes. They are nothing but shills for crooked dealers!
Robert
My feelings exactly and certainly those of many others. Better that collectors deal with each other and not with a legion of crooks! ADR
A collector friend is a reluctant member of the WAF and he told me this morning that the militaria business is tanking very quickly. Some of this because it was a bubble market and a lot more because almost all the dealers and their friendly auctions are jam packed with recent fakes. Considering the high prices the dealers are asking for paki and hindu crap, it is about time.
Misha
I have been watching the market and there is no question it is heading down like BitCoin. And I love it when the auction people advertise “Adolf Hitler’s mustache cup” for only $5,000 (“from a VET!”) And if it does not sell, which it usually doesn’t, they put out the story that some very rich collector from France flew in and the collector paid him in real gold! And the fake crap is still getting dusty in his storeroom, along with Ike’s helmet and Marilyn Monroe’s panties.