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Around 1914, in Mt. Carroll, Illinois, my mother, Adeline, and her sister, Kathleen were invited to sit for two watercolor scenes by an itinerant artist. It was a nice summer afternoon, and the girls posed first as playing Croquet. Then as one sitting doing knitting (as I recall the scene) with the other standing nearby. Each "portrait" would measure about 14" wide and 16" high. These pictures eventually belonged to my Mother and then were handed to me.
While I was in the process of selling one home and moving to my present home near West Salem, Wisconsin. There was a breakin, and a man from Beloit, Wisconsin stole many treasured things of our family, including these two pictures. His name is Sorensen, and his "business" practice was to travel out to various areas in Wisconsin burgling homes while the owners were away for extended periods of time. I was away in Naples, Florida at the time. He would return to Beloit and consign his loot to various auction houses and dealers in that city pretending, for the record, that he had purchased and collected these items legitimately. This went on week after week, month after month, as one auction house payment records show.
He was apprehended soon afterwards because he still had in his possession all my Lionel train items which could be positively identified. Everything else had previously been sold at auction and dispersed out of State. Fro the 3 jobes he did in the La Crosse area that week, he was sentence to 18 years in Wisconsin Prison. He refuses to reveal where and to whom he transfered these pictures and the many guns and other things that this auction house do not record.
I believe that this activity is widespread in the "collectibles" industry and that it would not be unusual for any specific item offered for evaluation in the pre-production of your show events. I am wondering whether there is any assistance that your organization could be in the idenification and recovery of this kind of stolen property. For instance, do you keep photographs and statement records of many items brought in beyond those chosen to appear in the weekly program ? Is there an "archive" of this material ? Do you have suggestions for possible tracing and recovery of stolen property like this ? Do any of your expert appraisers have conversations with business or insurance "agents" qualified to pursue these issues?
Any help along these lines would be greatly appreciated.
George Webster
2723 Lakeview Dr.
Naples, FL 34112