[meteorite-list] Relating to the Elbert A. King Collection

From: Michael Farmer <farmerm_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:04:47 2004
Message-ID: <011401c1f65a$54a87420$2ad00140_at_computer>

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Nicely put Steve, it seems that the King family problem with probate is =
not your problem. Casper needs to keep his friggin mouth shut on crap =
that has absolutely nothing to do with him. We all know that will never =
happen though, just wishful thinking.=20
Mike Farmer
  ----- Original Message -----=20
  From: MeteorHntr_at_aol.com=20
  To: meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com=20
  Sent: Tuesday, May 07, 2002 11:08 PM
  Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Relating to the Elbert A. King =
Collection


  In a message dated 5/4/02 3:25:12 PM Central Daylight Time, =
Michael_at_caspercoin.com writes:=20


    The name is Michael NOT Mikey. Yes I did lose out of representing=20
    the "King Collection". If I would have sold the collection his =
daughters=20
    would have been paid.=20
    It is a fact that I offered OVER $200,00.00 cash to the family. That =
is=20
    $200,000.00 more than they received!=20
    Steve Arnold, a questionable attorney and a corrupt male nurse saw =
to that!=20
    the King Family has NOT been paid by Steve Arnold AND ASSOCIATES =
(Geoff=20
    Notkin?).



  Hello list,=20

  I regret having to post this to the list, but I feel that some =
explanation is necessary. =20

  For those who are unaware, Sharon King, Dr. Elbert A. King's widow, =
passed away in September 2001. Lisa King is her stepdaughter. Sharon =
was executor of Dr. King's Estate after he died in 1998. In 1999, =
Sharon King hired me as the exclusive agent on a five year contract to =
sell the meteorites belonging to Dr. King's private collection. =20

  As usual Michael Casper has made some unsubstantiated comments:=20

  1. He implies that no money was paid to the King family. However, In =
the year 1999 alone, with me as sole agent, over $325,000.00 (YES, I =
REPEAT, OVER THREE HUNDRED TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS!) was paid from =
individual and institutional buyers to Sharon King for the sale of items =
in Bert's Collection. Additional sales were made in 2000 as well. =20

  2. Casper claims to have made an offer of over $200,000 for the entire =
collection. However, the largest offer he made to me for the collection =
was $100,000. Jim Strope and Darryl Pitt were "silent" partners with =
Casper in his bid for the whole collection. As I understand it, Casper =
did not have enough personal funds to cover his $100,000 offer. At some =
point, I know Pitt and Strope backed out of the deal with Casper for =
various reasons. I haven't talked with them about this in nearly 3 =
years, but I am sure they can verify this information. When I received a =
larger offer for the collection, Casper said "I am not going to bid this =
up, you go get your best offer and then come back to me and I will beat =
it." The highest offer I received from another party, was for $225,000 =
which Sharon King turned down. I asked Casper if he wanted to top that =
offer and he asked "What will it take for me to buy it?" I asked Mrs. =
King and she was firm on wanting at least $300,000.. When I passed this =
on to Casper he said some things I won't repeat here, and he never =
submitted another offer to me after that. Mrs. King then decided to =
sell the meteorites individually. I contacted several institutions =
including the U.S. National Collection at the Smithsonian and they were =
not interested in purchasing or trading for any of the specimens. I =
also contacted the British Museum of Natural History in London and they =
were willing to trade for just one specimen from the collection. =
Several other specimens were sold to another interested institution and =
then we began selling the remainder via auctions to the general public.=20

  3. Casper mentions that "the King Family has not been paid." If by =
that he means that Sharon's stepchildren have not been paid yet, then he =
is correct. Sharon King's Estate is still in Probate, so of course the =
heirs have not received any of Sharon's assets yet. =20

  4. I am not sure what he is referring to when he mentions "a =
questionable attorney" and a "corrupt male nurse." However, as for his =
comments concerning Geoff Notkin, Geoff was my webmaster during some of =
the sales, but he had nothing to do with anything other than website =
updates. =20

  Many items from the King Collection were purchased by people on this =
list. It is possible to verify that all the checks were made out to =
either Sharon King or to the King Estate's law firm's trust account. It =
is also possible to verify through those canceled checks that all funds =
passed through one of these accounts and NOT mine. After the funds =
cleared the bank, my commission was paid either by Sharon or her lawyer. =


  There was a comment made that Casper might be open for a lawsuit due =
to things he has said on this list. Maybe that might be the case, but =
even if I would win a lawsuit against him, I would still have to prove =
"damages" before I would be awarded any money. Since Casper's =
credibility has suffered so much, it is hard to imagine that his =
comments have cost me any loss of sales (damages), so why should I sue =
him? However, I did have several auctions on ebay this last weekend =
right in the middle of all this commotion. =20

  =
http://cgi6.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?MfcISAPICommand=3DViewListedIte=
ms&userid=3Dmeteoritebroker.com&include=3D0&since=3D7&sort=3D3&rows=3D0=20

  I would be very interested to know if anyone would be willing to swear =
under oath that they did indeed plan to bid on some of my lots, but then =
decided not to bid based directly on Casper's public and or private =
comments. Not suing Casper has nothing to do with any fear of "full =
disclosure" on my part.=20

  Even though the statute of limitations has expired for the King Estate =
to consider filing a lawsuit against Casper, I would be interested to =
know if anyone was scared off early on by Casper's public fiasco on this =
list three years ago (see list archives April/May 1999). =
http://www.pairlist.net/pipermail/meteorite-list/=20

  Lisa King has inquired about purchases made from the King Collection =
after February 4, 2001. Although my records indicate that I have not =
sold any items from the King Collection after January 2001, if anyone =
has purchased such material from me since then please feel free to =
contact her. I would appreciate a copy of any correspondence with her =
concerning these topics.=20

  I know this is far more detailed than most of you care about, but I =
hope I have cleared up any confusion that has been caused. I must admit =
that I am pleasantly surprised by all the support I have received both =
on the list and off. I would like to say thanks to all of you.=20

  Thank You,=20
  Steven K. Arnold=20

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<BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Nicely put Steve, it seems that the =
King family=20
problem with probate is not your problem. Casper needs to keep his =
friggin mouth=20
shut on crap that has absolutely nothing to do with him. We all know =
that will=20
never happen though, just wishful thinking. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Mike Farmer</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE=20
style=3D"PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
  <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
  <DIV=20
  style=3D"BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: =
black"><B>From:</B>=20
  <A title=3DMeteorHntr_at_aol.com=20
  href=3D"mailto:MeteorHntr_at_aol.com">MeteorHntr@aol.com</A> </DIV>
  <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A=20
  title=3Dmeteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com=20
  =
href=3D"mailto:meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com">meteorite-list@meteor=
itecentral.com</A>=20
  </DIV>
  <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, May 07, 2002 =
11:08=20
PM</DIV>
  <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [meteorite-list] =
Relating to=20
  the Elbert A. King Collection</DIV>
  <DIV><BR></DIV><FONT face=3Darial,helvetica><FONT size=3D2>In a =
message dated=20
  5/4/02 3:25:12 PM Central Daylight Time, <A=20
  href=3D"mailto:Michael_at_caspercoin.com">Michael@caspercoin.com</A> =
writes:=20
  <BR><BR>
  <BLOCKQUOTE=20
  style=3D"PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px =
solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"=20
  TYPE=3D"CITE">The name is Michael NOT Mikey. Yes I did lose out of=20
    representing <BR>the "King Collection". If I would have sold the =
collection=20
    his daughters <BR>would have been paid. <BR>It is a fact that I =
offered OVER=20
    $200,00.00 cash to the family. That is <BR>$200,000.00 more than =
they=20
    received! <BR>Steve Arnold, a questionable attorney and a corrupt =
male nurse=20
    saw to that! <BR>the King Family has NOT been paid by Steve Arnold =
AND=20
    ASSOCIATES (Geoff <BR>Notkin?).</BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR><BR>Hello list, =
<BR><BR>I=20
  regret having to post this to the list, but I feel that some =
explanation is=20
  necessary. &nbsp; <BR><BR>For those who are unaware, Sharon King, Dr. =
Elbert=20
  A. King's widow, passed away in September 2001. Lisa King is her =
stepdaughter.=20
  &nbsp;Sharon was executor of Dr. King's Estate after he died in 1998. =
&nbsp;In=20
  1999, Sharon King hired me as the exclusive agent on a five year =
contract to=20
  sell the meteorites belonging to Dr. King's private collection. &nbsp; =

  <BR><BR>As usual Michael Casper has made some unsubstantiated =
comments:=20
  <BR><BR>1. He implies that no money was paid to the King family.=20
  &nbsp;However, In the year 1999 alone, with me as sole agent, over =
$325,000.00=20
  (YES, I REPEAT, OVER THREE HUNDRED TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS!) was =
paid=20
  from individual and institutional buyers to Sharon King for the sale =
of items=20
  in Bert's Collection. &nbsp;Additional sales were made in 2000 as =
well. &nbsp;=20
  <BR><BR>2. Casper claims to have made an offer of over $200,000 for =
the entire=20
  collection. &nbsp;However, the largest offer he made to me for the =
collection=20
  was $100,000. &nbsp;Jim Strope and Darryl Pitt &nbsp;were "silent" =
partners=20
  with Casper in his bid for the whole collection. &nbsp;As I understand =
it,=20
  Casper did not have enough personal funds to cover his $100,000 offer. =

  &nbsp;At some point, I know Pitt and Strope backed out of the deal =
with Casper=20
  for various reasons. &nbsp;I haven't talked with them about this in =
nearly 3=20
  years, but I am sure they can verify this information. When I received =
a=20
  larger offer for the collection, Casper said "I am not going to bid =
this up,=20
  you go get your best offer and then come back to me and I will beat =
it."=20
  &nbsp;The highest offer I received from another party, was for =
$225,000 which=20
  Sharon King turned down. &nbsp;I asked Casper if he wanted to top that =
offer=20
  and he asked "What will it take for me to buy it?" I asked Mrs. King =
and she=20
  was firm on wanting at least $300,000.. &nbsp;When I passed this on to =
Casper=20
  he said some things I won't repeat here, and he never submitted =
another offer=20
  to me after that. &nbsp;Mrs. King then decided to sell the meteorites=20
  individually. &nbsp;I contacted several institutions including the =
U.S.=20
  National Collection at the Smithsonian and they were not interested in =

  purchasing or trading for any of the specimens. &nbsp;I also contacted =
the=20
  British Museum of Natural History in London and they were willing to =
trade for=20
  just one specimen from the collection. &nbsp;Several other specimens =
were sold=20
  to another interested institution and then we began selling the =
remainder via=20
  auctions to the general public. <BR><BR>3. Casper mentions that "the =
King=20
  Family has not been paid." If by that he means that Sharon's =
stepchildren have=20
  not been paid yet, then he is correct. &nbsp;Sharon King's Estate is =
still in=20
  Probate, so of course the heirs have not received any of Sharon's =
assets yet.=20
  &nbsp; <BR><BR>4. I am not sure what he is referring to when he =
mentions "a=20
  questionable attorney" and a "corrupt male nurse." However, as for his =

  comments concerning Geoff Notkin, Geoff was my webmaster during some =
of the=20
  sales, but he had nothing to do with anything other than website =
updates.=20
  &nbsp; <BR><BR>Many items from the King Collection were purchased by =
people on=20
  this list. &nbsp;It is possible to verify that all the checks were =
made out to=20
  either Sharon King or to the King Estate's law firm's trust account. =
&nbsp;It=20
  is also possible to verify through those canceled checks that all =
funds passed=20
  through one of these accounts and NOT mine. &nbsp;After the funds =
cleared the=20
  bank, my commission was paid either by Sharon or her lawyer. =
<BR><BR>There was=20
  a comment made that Casper might be open for a lawsuit due to things =
he has=20
  said on this list. &nbsp;Maybe that might be the case, but even if I =
would win=20
  a lawsuit against him, I would still have to prove "damages" before I =
would be=20
  awarded any money. &nbsp;Since Casper's credibility has suffered so =
much, it=20
  is hard to imagine that his comments have cost me any loss of sales =
(damages),=20
  so why should I sue him? &nbsp;However, I did have several auctions on =
ebay=20
  this last weekend right in the middle of all this commotion. &nbsp; =
<BR><BR><A=20
  =
href=3D"http://cgi6.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?MfcISAPICommand=3DViewL=
istedItems&amp;userid=3Dmeteoritebroker.com&amp;include=3D0&amp;since=3D7=
&amp;sort=3D3&amp;rows=3D0">http://cgi6.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?Mfc=
ISAPICommand=3DViewListedItems&amp;userid=3Dmeteoritebroker.com&amp;inclu=
de=3D0&amp;since=3D7&amp;sort=3D3&amp;rows=3D0</A>=20
  <BR><BR>I would be very interested to know if anyone would be willing =
to swear=20
  under oath that they did indeed plan to bid on some of my lots, but =
then=20
  decided not to bid based directly on Casper's public and or private =
comments.=20
  &nbsp;Not suing Casper has nothing to do with any fear of "full =
disclosure" on=20
  my part. <BR><BR>Even though the statute of limitations has expired =
for the=20
  King Estate to consider filing a lawsuit against Casper, I would be =
interested=20
  to know if anyone was scared off early on by Casper's public fiasco on =
this=20
  list three years ago (see list archives April/May 1999).=20
  &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<A=20
  =
href=3D"http://www.pairlist.net/pipermail/meteorite-list/">http://www.pai=
rlist.net/pipermail/meteorite-list/</A>=20
  <BR><BR>Lisa King has inquired about purchases made from the King =
Collection=20
  after February 4, 2001. &nbsp;Although my records indicate that I have =
not=20
  sold any items from the King Collection after January 2001, if anyone =
has=20
  purchased such material from me since then please feel free to contact =
her.=20
  &nbsp;I would appreciate a copy of any correspondence with her =
concerning=20
  these topics. <BR><BR>I know this is far more detailed than most of =
you care=20
  about, but I hope I have cleared up any confusion that has been =
caused.=20
  &nbsp;I must admit that I am pleasantly surprised by all the support I =
have=20
  received both on the list and off. &nbsp;I would like to say thanks to =
all of=20
  you. <BR><BR>Thank You, <BR>Steven K. Arnold</FONT>=20
</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>

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Received on Wed 08 May 2002 02:33:54 AM PDT


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