The Forum at Handcuffs.Org

Radner/Houdini Auction

15 visible archived posts · 15 preserved total · topic ID 3370

Mark Lyons 04 Feb 2010

Hi,
I hope some of you can help me with a problem that I am experiencing.
To make a long story short, I need to find out who bought some of the items from the auction 6 years ago.
It is believed by some people that I bid and won the following items and it is my desire to find out who actually did win these.
1. Item #17 Rankin HC With Non-original key. Sold for $4,400
2. Item #18 Hiatt Best 377 Darby cuff with no key. They are BROKEN and they sold for $2,500.
3. Item #50 Marlin Swivel Cuffs. With original key. Sold for $2,900
4. Item #60 Bean Giant with key. Sold for $4,900
5. Item #71 Darby HC with long leather wrapped waist chain, marked 23 with key. Sold for $3,400
6. Item #81 Bean Cobb Leg Iron with no key (even though a key is pictured in the catalog) Sold for $3,700

If you have any of the items above or know who does, I would appreciate hearing from you to resolve my problems. I can be contacted privately if you wish to keep your identity private.
Thank you for any and all help you can provide to me.

mark
O--O

Inquisitive 04 Feb 2010

What is the problem?

Mark Lyons 04 Feb 2010

fair enough....
Soon to be ex-wife thinks I should pay her the big money for handcuffs that I never owned.
Most of these items I would never bid on in the first place.....well actually, I never actually did bid on them!
I won a fairly rare cuff at the auction and paid less for it than what the broken Hiatts went for. So, I can't figure why she would claim I won this item.
Most of the cuffs on this list have been added to my appraisal and in my eyes, it appears to be unfair. If I can get documentation of who owns these, maybe then I can settle this well deserved divorce.

Thanks for your interest.

mark
O--O

Ron Spitz 04 Feb 2010

Those of us who were at the auction know what you got, and didn't get. I for one, would be happy to sign a declaration stating so. I bet if you contacted others who were there they would be glad to do the same.

Ron

atlanta*casting 04 Feb 2010

Some good laughs at the prices the items sold for !!!

Atame 04 Feb 2010

Hi Mark,

how did your wife got aware of these auctions? And isn't it possible to get a kind of authorized certificate of the auctioneer that you did NOT win these auctions?

Best regards and chin up!
Guenter

Mark Lyons 04 Feb 2010

Ron, Thank you for your help.
I think a declaration from you will be a big help to me.
You were there right beside me at the auction and know exactly what I bought and what I did not buy.
As you are very knowlegable about cuffs, your written word should weigh heavy. I will send you a blank declaration page and all you have to do is write what you know and speak the truth while doing so. If you desire, you can use your own blank piece of paper and write what you will. Your legal name and contact info should also appear. The declaration I will provide will need your signature and just put "see attached letter" in the middle.
This will be a big help to me in proving that she and her appraiser are grossly erroneous in this matter.

Atlanta, Yes, some of the prices were rediculous but all or most of them were far below the estimated price.

Atame, The appraiser found this site and did much of his research here. He also looked at the Swann Auction and included some of it in his report. How that pertains to me is strange and I do not know what benefit it will provide to either side.
What the appraiser did was read over my article about the Radner auction that appears in this website and noted the cuffs that I highlighted with their prices realized. Somehow he figured that if I wrote about them...they must be mine.
He broke the cardinal rule for appraisers....he made an assumption and did not rely on the facts. This might disqualify his appraisal. My attorney is looking into all of this.
It is such a mess, but I am confident that the truth will come out and with help from you, the cuff collecting community (CCC), I expected to give her half the value of the cuffs that I have in the collection and not have to pay for those that belong to other collectors.
Somehow that is not good enough and she wants me to pay her for cuffs that you guys own!
Maybe I should give her the collection and she can pay me what the appaiser quoted.
Then I could go out and puchase the Lauher, Willis, Busch, Patella,Holst,Bushy,Atame,Spitz,Santini, Munari,Yossi, and ALL the other collections and have enough money left over to buy a condo in Maui!

Thanks again for your support!

mark
O--O

Dorson 04 Feb 2010

Oh my, this doesn't sound good at all.... Maybe the appraiser needs to be fired and more competant one needs to be found that deals with facts. I am doing an appraisal of a collection myself and know how hard it is to find realistic prices.

Mark Lyons 04 Feb 2010

Dorson, Yes, This is a mess. She won't move an inch towards settlement because she wants money for things that don't belong to her...it doesn't even belong to me!
Her stuborness will cost her much more in attorney fees that she will ever recoup from me.
I think her lawyer is promising her the stars and moon while she laughs all the way to the bank. As much as my ex-bride has tried to screw me, I still feel sad for her. Her lawyer is out to get her and she is blind to it. Not my problem!
Enough of all this. I just hope someone can identify the real owners of the listed cuffs.

Guenter, I did look into contacting the auctioneers, but I do not think they retained the information. I am working on other ways to get this info.

I forgot to mention that she is also claiming that I bought both McKenzie Mitts and Number 61.
I have contacted the owner of 61 and he fully understands the situation.
I have had help from a CCC member and he provided info as to the rightful owners of the Mitts. I wrote to both parties and am waiting for their replies. I hope they will help me out with this mess.

Thanks again to everyone here!

mark
O--O

Steve Santini 05 Feb 2010

#10

Such a thing is always a difficult position and resolution is always a million light years away when reason, sanity, and the like are thrown to the winds in favor of lawyers.

As a dear old friend once said to me, "What do you get when you have 1523 lawyers on the Titanic?"

"A good start."

My best wishes for a tollerable solution.

That is all one can hope for in such a situation.

Steve Santini

atlanta*casting 05 Feb 2010

#11

Everything seems to go in slow slow motion.

Good luck Mark.

Joshua 05 Feb 2010

#12

Hey Mark I feel for you man I've been in your shoes and wish I could help. You might ask Stan Willis in regards to the mitts perhaps he could tell you who the owner is off of his list.

michael griffin 05 Feb 2010

#13

Hey mark
Im so sorry to hear about this, I thought I was the only one who has escaped from handcuff collecting to see so much of it get sold for divorce proceedings

Oh well, we all get our own straitjacket of some sort
hang in there, im rooting for you
michael

Mark Lyons 05 Feb 2010

#14

Thanks, you guys,
I am overjoyed with your support and well wishes.
When I first stated going through this divorce almost 2 years ago, my interest in the hobby waned quite a bit and some of you noticed my absence from this site. As I was able to pick myself up off the floor and realized that things will be much better (and they are), I reclaimed some of my entusiasm for the hobby due to the friendships and the commeradery you guys provide. I am getting a bit mushy here, but as my family has been permanantly ruined, I appreciate what all you have done since I disclosed the "problem" I am faced with and am very proud to be associated with all of you.
I have strong hopes that I will be able to keep my collection, but if she insists on receiving the exhorbinant amount of money she thinks the collection is worth, I may have to let her buy it from me at that price. I will have to start all over without the expectation of ever duplicating what I had. I will limit the collection to a few select pieces. While all or most of my collection may vanish, my interest in the hobby will never dissapear.

Thanks again,

mark
O--O

Steve Santini 05 Feb 2010

#15

Hi Mark,

I have, on and off, collected restraints since I was 15 years old.

Over the years I have owned or had pass through my hands just about every type of rare restraint one could hope to encounter.

As I look back on the years, I recall that I have assembled, and then liquidated, 3 large collections of restraints not including the hand forged and Medieval restraint collection I currently own.

I remember that every time I disposed of a large collection I remember thinking, "Damn it! I will never find such rare things again!"

But you know, the really odd thing is, I always did find them again and even more unusual and rare ones the second and third times around.

I guess what I am trying to say here is that sure it will no doubt pain you if you have to part with your impressive collection. But, tommorow is another day and with it comes new possiblites, finds, discoveries, etc.

No matter how it all turns out, I have the feeling you will make out o.k.

Cheers, Steve