Today, Anthony Shkutnick’s *stoneark* eBay account (AKA stonark, AKA Corner Collectibles, AKA Cornner Collectibles) was changed to a suspended or “NARU” status (Not A Registered User – or – No Longer A Registered User). This dealer has been the focus of an ongoing investigation into the provenance of items offered for sale to the public that were “guaranteed authentic” wardrobe and other personal items attributed to various classic Hollywood stars and other celebrities. [Read more…]
Today, professional wrestler Lanny Poffo has declared that a Letter of Authenticity bearing his (misspelled) name and signature, included as proof of authenticity in a recent *stoneark* auction, is fraudulent.
An article published earlier this week (see eBay’s *stoneark*: “Buyer/Bidder Network” Analysis, Part 1) included analysis of a select set of eBay accounts and their bidding activities with eBay seller *stoneark* (AKA stonark, AKA Corner Collectibles, AKA Cornner Collectibles). Anthony Shkutnick, partnered with eBay, offers for public sale “guaranteed authentic” wardrobe attributed to various classic Hollywood stars.
30 days ago, I began performing an analysis of eBay seller *stoneark* (AKA stonark, AKA Corner Collectibles, AKA Cornner Collectibles) and bid participation patterns on his listings of “guaranteed authentic” wardrobe attributed to various classic Hollywood stars. As a result, I identified 8 accounts that share not only some remarkable coincidences, but nearly each one has transacted with all of the rest, in addition to buying from *stoneark*.
As was the case last year (see 2007 Year in Review), what follows is an editorial review of my personal views with regards to the hobby, looking back at the top trends and news stories of 2008. As always, there were a lot of interesting developments and events, and quite a bit to review and consider. [Read more…]
As has been noted in past features (see Market Watch | “stonark” / “*stoneark*” (Corner Collectibles / Cornner Collectibles)), eBay seller *stoneark* (recently changed from stonark) has paired Letters of Authenticity and Certificates of Authenticity from auction houses and a variety of other sources. I have been unable to verify the existence of most of these firms and individuals, which has raised a number of questions as to provenance. [Read more…]
As a short update to the *stoneark* (AKA stonark, AKA Corner Collectibles) articles, a reader pointed out to me today that there are two active and concurrent eBay listings depicting the same dress, but with two different attributions – to both Myrna Loy and June Harver. Additionally, eBay’s *stoneark* (formerly stonark, sans “e” and asterisks) have changed their company name from Corner Collectibles to Cornner Collectibles (now with two “n’s”). [Read more…]
Today, eBay has deleted a discussion topic on their own “Trust & Safety (SafeHarbor)” discussion forum, part of their “Answer Center” where eBay users are encouraged to “[s]hare questions or experience with members”. This was a topic I initiated in September seeking assistance in verifying the sources of memorabilia marketed as authentic by eBay dealer *stoneark* (AKA stonark AKA Corner Collectibles). [Read more…]
