Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Steve Zarelli on February 22, 2016 at 2:35pm

This is a common forgery style distributed in mass quantities that sources back to a Russian seller, in my opinion. These have been flooding the market for almost 20 years. The source sends out emails offering "collections" from former Soviet officials, dignitaries, etc. Regrettably, they have fooled many dealers, auction houses and collectors over the years.

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Permalink Reply by David Jones on February 22, 2016 at 2:48pm

Thank you Steve; I was afraid of that.  Now for the interesting bit.  I bought this from Heritage Auctions in Dallas 7 or 8 years ago and it cost me a lot of money ($000's).  Do you think I have a chance of obtaining a refund from them?

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Permalink Reply by Don Webster on February 22, 2016 at 3:26pm

I feel your pain David...

Not that many years back RR auctions was selling Elvis Presley that were supposed to have been signed by Elvis while he was stationed in Germany.

They were fakes...many knew it but RR kept going....sold many more than they should have before they finally came to their senses...

Please keep us posted here on what's going on with Heritage and your item...

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Permalink Reply by Steve Zarelli on February 22, 2016 at 4:39pm

David: Heritage currently has very good space authenticators. I recommend contacting Heritage with your concerns and requesting that they have their cosmonaut authenticator review it.

Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by David Jones on May 16, 2016 at 5:20pm

Time for some follow-up, I think.

I contacted Heritage Auctions and they did review the SP and they did confirm that the signature and inscription were not written by Yuri Gagarin.  They also sent me a sum of money as a refund.

Sounds good?  Not really!  I got money back but:

1.  It took them more than 2 months
2.  It was an unpleasant experience
3.  They could barely have been less gracious about it.  The whole process was carried out as grudgingly as possible.
4.  There was no negotiation.  They sent me a sum of money and didn't even have the courtesy to tell me in advance how much it would be, on what they based their calculation or even when they would send it.
5.  As far as I can tell, there was no element of payment to cover the initial or subsequent FedEx costs, my (considerable) import duties or interest for my lost use of the funds during 8 years.
6.  But for my vigilance they would have sent the funds to the wrong bank account!
7.  There was ABSOLUTELY NO EXPLANATION OR APOLOGY.
8.  HA customer service?  I think that is a misnomer.  It seems they employ lots of people who never speak to each-other or share information, resulting in the need to repeat questions and for the client to chase them for responses.  How about renaming HA customer service as 'Customer Servitude'.

In short, dealing with Heritage Auctions to recover my money after THEY made a serious error, was a most unpleasant experience. 

Fortunately I will never have to do it again!

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Permalink Reply by Joe W. on May 16, 2016 at 5:31pm

I'm sorry David Jones for your horrible experience. At least, you did get part of what you desired back. I congratulate you for following through. I understand the struggle for justice can be in this hobby at times. Big companies, big egos, little compassion.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Zarelli on May 16, 2016 at 6:14pm

Sorry it was a tough process, but I have to give Heritage some credit for giving you some sort of recompense. Many auction houses would not.

Thanks for sharing.

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Permalink Reply by David Jones on May 17, 2016 at 6:05am

The total lack of information about the (drawn-out) process and the almost monosyllabic grunts from HA Customer Servitude were the most frustrating aspects of this.  I have always believed that communication is key in commercial transactions of any kind.

As they might say over here in the Eurovision Contest:

Heritage Auctions "Null Points"!

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Permalink Reply by David Jones on May 17, 2016 at 6:08am

On a separate note, I would like to thank you personally, Steve, for your input and assistance in helping me obtain a refund.  Your expertise is much appreciated.

I hope to obtain a genuine Gagarin SP or DS at some point in the future but with there being so many forgeries on the market now I don't know where to look.

Best,

David

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Permalink Reply by Steve Zarelli on May 17, 2016 at 6:25am

The sad reality is, you can get an authentic Gagarin for several hundred dollars because the fakes have ballooned the supply and decimated the value of real examples.

Check out Florian Knoller (SpaceFlori.com)... he is reliable with Gagarin. There are also good examples on eBay at any given time, if you pick through all the weeds. Feel free to drop me a note for an opinion.

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