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Dolos-Project Militaria Blog Closes down (see Note below)

Like so many places (aka Pogo the Klown Posse and your followers) there are those that simply want to throw harpoons while providing very little value add.

has found that there are some with an alternative agenda to abuse our open approach to commenting on the world of militaria collecting/trading. To that end we would welcome suggestions from you concerning site format and direction.

It is sites like Dolos who suspect with their going into hibernation; that the world of militaria collecting will once again return to its uneasy status quo where people, apparently, would prefer not to know the truth. Others, who do know the truth. would clearly prefer it not be made widely available. Others still will do all they can to derail any attempt to assist collectors (and dealers) to make informed decisions.

but for claritfication; Dolos' aim was make the world of militaria collecting more transparent and less open to malicious abuse and profiteering and we stand by that aim. We would like to thank you for your support of the project.

Just so that you know, we were not taken down, no one set their lawyers onto us. We closed voluntarily. This decision was taken because we felt that Dolos was beginning to lose focus. There were increasing numbers of personal attacks from a very small minority with little to back them up and we had cases where threads hit a dead end because nothing was forthcoming when a participant was asked to provide proof for their claims. Deletion of such threads resulted in howls of 'censorship!!' which was extremely unfair and not at all the intention. Others outside the forum preferred to take the route of lambasting the site owners by email rather than stepping up to the plate on the forum to answer any questions themselves. Increasing amounts of time were required to administer all of this and the inevitable conclusion was that Dolos needed a 'time out' and that's where we are now.

If and when we reopen it will be to concentrate fully on our original aim by making it difficult for those with an alternative agenda to abuse our open approach to commenting on the world of militaria collecting/trading. To that end we would welcome suggestions from you concerning site format and direction.

Personal attacks? Geez, I wonder where we have heard that one...

Note: 2/15/2012 I see the Thread was closed without my advance knowledge and then reopened as I had an issue with not giving Mr. Bill equal response time which has now occurred and has again been closed to commentary. The thread was originally started to simply convey the issue of Dolos shutting down. Since it has reopened, the thread title was changed by Cyrkin.

While I don't have any major agita with some of the decisions it needs to include the threads owner unless it is really gone off the deep end.

One thing I absolutely disagree with is this nonsense about "not autograph oriented". We have lots of those discussions from Relic Cards to Titanic Props to WW2 Hitler Desk Sets and all don't have any "autograph association" but are within the realm of collectables. There are also quite a few worthy Military signatures and artifacts.

Thus to say it wasn't autograph oriented is lame. The rationiale IMO is that there was alot of mudslinging and flamethrowing apparently going on at DOLOs (which was one of the reasons they closed the blog down for awhile) that seemed to weave it's way over here in an annoymous comment Those types of posts, as was correctly edited by the Moderator, was perhaps indicative of potential future spiraling and out of control posts.

NOTE: 2/18/2012; While going to check on the Dealer rating page as it has some nice features that AML could use, I found a site message posted below; So I've change the title that Steve Cyrkin modified to say Refocuses on it's main intent, maybe.... It's pretty sad when to think that a once informative blog has again disappeared due to such backbiting and illwill.

I'm sorry for this repeated loss of service but even I now have to admit that I've come to the end of the road with this project in it's current incarnation. I'm closing because I don't need the poisonous hassle I'm getting behind the scenes.

Conspiracy theories about Dolos abounded and continue to abound. I have heard some fantastic stories about who people think is running the Dolos Project and why it came into existence. They would be funny if they weren't such a sad indictment of our hobby...

There is no point in continuing with the project in the current climate but I'd like to extend my thanks to those of you who saw through the hype and ill-will and had a genuine desire to effect change in our hobby.

Thanks for your time

The Dolos Project
Feb 2012

Tags: dolos-project, militaria

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Nathan Phillips on February 5, 2012 at 10:55am

I'm sorry, but Dolos was a collection of "collectors" with just the opposite in mind. It was designed to shake collector confidence in legitimate dealers, in order to promote fakes through numerous online shills. I know this, because I was contacted by Dolos and "directed" to a "real" autograph dealer who could get me "real" autographs at a fraction of the price of the "big timers." Unfortunately for them, I wasn't born yesterday.

Website was apparently owned by a "Prosper Keating" who is a failed writer living in France under the shadow of his famous hairstylist wife, Odile Gilbert. Keating is not new to the "disruption" game. After missing out on some collectible motorcycles in his other hobby (in autographs, Keating is a non-starter, preferring to collect Nazi relics instead), Keating started harassing motorcycle collectors with online hit-pieces also. Here's the story:

http://johnlumleyscandal.blogspot.com/2010/09/prosper-keatings-wild...

Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on February 5, 2012 at 11:46am

Interesting... I have a few friends in militaria. I'll ask them what the story is. Thanks.

Permalink Reply by DB on February 5, 2012 at 11:30am

Nathan - welcome to AM and within 21 minutes you found this post. Good show.

It would appear if that were accurate then why would they suspend the blog especially if that was the intent.

can't speak to your specific situation but I thought they had a dealer review section where people can provide their ratings, subjective or malicious (unfortunately as that might be) & rationale. I would think if the latter then others would voice just the opposite.

If this wasn't their goal; Our aim is to discuss and examine the fakes which have plagued the world of militaria collecting since the end of World War II then shutting down is perhaps a good thing.

Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on February 5, 2012 at 11:37am

DB, I'm having a real hard time following this. I read their statement, and that's pretty easy to understand. But not the lead in. Could you please clarify and post their link, if it's still up?

Thanks

Permalink Reply by DB on February 5, 2012 at 11:43am

This site (AML) is not the only site that has a Pogo the Klown Posse critics...

There were increasing numbers of personal attacks from a very small minority with little to back them up and we had cases where threads hit a dead end because nothing was forthcoming when a participant was asked to provide proof for their claims.

http://www.dolos-project.com/content.php/116-famous-fakes-and-fanta...

although the announcement doesn't include their email to members.

Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on February 5, 2012 at 11:43am

Here we go...www.dolos-project.com. So they were getting attacked by the forgery industry like we were. Interesting. Glad they're keeping their site online, but just not accepting new content for the moment. I look forward to reading the site when I have time. Thanks!

Permalink Reply by Bill Panagopulos on February 10, 2012 at 2:05pm

Don Bacardi -

Funny you should bring up Dolos! I was on the site for quite a while, and could...and will...tell you some tales about it. BTW - the site is back up and running. I suspect I was part of the reason it was closed for a week or so.

First of all, you will be happy to know, my Bordello of Blood-brother, that we are one in the same - at least as far as one of the most notorious posters on that site is concerned. See: http://www.dolos-project.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=951&d=.... The closest these two come to the truth is in their calling me "Basil the Blowhard", which I consider a compliment.

The Dolos Project forum was set up to uncover fakes in the world of militaria, mainly Third Reich. The owner of the site is not Mr. Keating (who apparently posts under the name "w c stump"), but rather a European collector with good intentions. Unfortunately, the most visible of those posting on the site are "attack dogs" and their sycophants, largely aiming their harpoons at the major dealers and auctioneers in the business. They make the accusations and attack sites in the autograph world look like "Run Spot, Run". Read on.

Poster "w c stump" is the most virulent. His website can be found at http://wcstumpmilitaria.blogspot.com/2011/12/otto-skorzenys-gran-sa...) and is brazenly named: "FAKE NAZI MILITARIA" It aims is to discredit every major piece he can find, because, as he wrote me, he has plans to write a book, series of articles, or a film script. The page I cited above is an attack on a watch I offered given by Mussolini to German commando Otto Skorzeny. In condemning the piece, "Stump" touts himself as an autograph expert, but failed to post a signed document I found in Hamilton's "Leaders & Personalities of the Third Reich" further evidencing the authenticity of the watch.

"Stump" is closely linked and may financially support one Peter Stahl, who writes a blog under the name of "A. D. Royster": http://www.adroystermilitaria.com/Dissecting_a_Fraud.html. If you read his posts, it becomes clear that Royster is a delusional anti-Semite desperately in need of help. Skim down the page and take a look at some of his "material".

"Stump"/Keating have also sent me vile anti-Semitic messages, including one that called a prominent Jewish dealer who often posts here a "zionazi", and today he wrote me: "Rabbi Augen Steinkald of the Catsfart Shoah Memorial Foundation in New Mexico said...we are only a race when it suits us...". The pair have also spat out such gems as: "...leave us white people alone...I'll bet the Hebrew Dwarf will turn inside-out with joy!...fly to the next show with a box of your nice new C**** fakes...", and much more.

I should add that neither "Stump" nor "Royster" are dealers - just self-described experts.

Getting back to autographs, many of you know that we deal in Holocaust material and consider it valid, historical "criminal evidence". One poster on Dolos, "Joubert", described the material as "slime" and suggested it be thrown in a dump or forgotten, as I recall. Yet this same person, one Kris Lindblom, sells almost exclusively Allach porcelain, made by Dachau prisoners used as forced labor in SS factories. His site: http://thirdreicharts.com/. He claims that the sale of Holocaust material will give his buyers the "wrong impression". I see no connection. perhaps he has something to hide...let's ask him.

I must however say that I received many emails from forum members at Dolos, and elsewhere, supporting me. Also, at all of the shows I've attended, I've never heard a word of hate from the thousands and thousands of people I've met and dealt with...all devoted historical collectors. But now I see that there are a very vocal few who give that entire genre of collecting a horrible name.

Those who'd like to correspond with these people may do so by writing: prosper.keating@gmail.com, adroyster@hotmail.com, and info@thirdreicharts.com. Tell them what you think of hate speech, and if you believe that letters by Holocaust victims comprise "slime".

Perhaps Steve might like to contact them directly to ask for their take on the story. I've kept all the emails as I am bringing this to the press, and to French law enforcement.

Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on February 10, 2012 at 2:51pm

I clicked Stump's link, Bill. He says he's dead. He should know.

Permalink Reply by Bill Panagopulos on February 10, 2012 at 2:58pm

No...W. C. Stump is dead...as dead as a stump. But Keating uses his name as an alias, supposedly in homage, tho' the real Stump is probably rotating in his grave at 150 RPM. Start with Royster - absolutely bonkers anti-Semite who has an imagination that would make Lewis Carroll shrink with jealousy.

Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on February 10, 2012 at 3:09pm

These people sound more criminally insane than the criminally insane in our industry.

Permalink Reply by VinnyR on February 15, 2012 at 10:02am

[Moderator Comment]

VinnieR,

I deleted your post, but you can post again.

We require that dealers and all industry professionals use their real names, as we state in our sign-up form. Please go back and change to your real name, which we will verify, thanks:

http://live.autographmagazine.com/profiles/settings/editProfileInfo

Vigorous conversation is OK here, but offensive content is not, so I need to delete your post. You're welcome to post and join the conversation, but keep it clean and factual and be prepared to back up your claims.

Thanks,

Steve Cyrkin

Permalink Reply by Bill Panagopulos on February 15, 2012 at 11:11am

Have just received an email from bigot Prosper Keating (prosperk@orange.fr) citing the following. It is contained within an email sent to his associate Peter Stahl (adroyster@hotmail.com):

"I wish someone could make it clear to Basil - busily posting away under at least different names on his Tits-on-the-Garden-Fence blog there [this forum] that we are not joined at the hip and that when you insult him, it is not as if I were insulting him, and vice-versa.

I have added a comment to Mr Panaglobalvirus's blog trying to make this clear to him:

http://live.autographmagazine.com/forum/topics/dolos-project-milita......"

His self-explanatory "comment" appears on this thread under his pseudonym "Vinnie Rothko".

I thank Mr. Keating for expressing himself and his anti-Semitism to the world in his own words. I also thank Mr. Keating for taking the time to update my genealogy. What he fails to note is that my father spent much of his youth in Kalavryta, in which the male population was murdered in an act of German retribution in 1943. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massacre_of_Kalavryta.

Mr. Keating resides in Paris where he feels he is beyond the reach of common civility...and the law.

I will not continue any dialogue with him, or his pseudonym-bearing associates, here...or anywhere else.