UBB.threads Forums General Interest Community Center Eickhorn Casberg Sketches - Lost in the Mail

I feel for anyone in these type situations and hope John heed Pats warning and live by his own advice as well that he gives to others such as the advice he gave Ryan "First of all, chalk it up as a lesson learned". John it sounds trusted this dealer like a friend just as Ryan had. This Mike character doesn't sound like he was ever his "buddy", sounds like John was his ATM machine. It's no fault to either of them or any of us, for a just person it's human nature to trust. It's these types of predators/criminal minds that will instinctively feed off your trust, your make believe friendships and eventually take advantage of it, if not all the time. There is always a need and a want. Theirs is your money.

Let me be clear about this.

I had dealt with Mike in the past with no problems.

I saw an item advertised on his site, liked it and after a few notes back and forth decided to buy it.

As in most such transactions, the money was sent first before the item would be shipped.

I sent the money via an international bank draft.

The problems arose after the money was sent.

There was no element of 'trusted this dealer like a friend'. I trusted this dealer like I would any of you if I were buying something from you.

If it were an item of great value, then I would probably have tried some kind of third party escrow type deal.

I have been promised my money back on the single fact that I was offered and paid for registered and insured delivery and the seller decided to send it, if he did at all, via straight priority mail with no tracking. When I get all of my money back in my hands and the cheque or draft or whatever has cleared the banking system, then I will ask that this thread be shut down.

Until then, I would like to thank all of my friends out there who have supported me either here or directly. Without such support, I would be in a much worse situation right now.

Cheers,

John

BEWARE OF MIKE MORRIS - RELICS OF THE REICH !!

Read DAMAST's post above. He got screwed too.

And, we'd like to hear if and when John gets his $$$ back.

What a bunch of B.S. John on your last post. Mike does not have it or own it so there was NOTHING to insure or ship !!!I own this stuff for years hands down case closed!!!! Also I would like pictures of this stuff taken off the forum as I own it!!! John I have not received a e-mail from Mike he still spreading that rumor ... Since I'm dragged into this and now being accused of something this thread will not stop when your payed...I have to have my collectables off this website!!

Johns just stateing what happened with him....
DAMAST,, Taken off here or not,,,they were [are?] still on the guys website!! They, the copies, are probably everywhere by now for a long while..

I think it would be a good idea to leave this thread open and not be deleted, we don't want another collector to have the same unhappy experience.
If you type Mike Morris on the other militaria forum, you will be who's really this dealer......... a pathetic sad dude.

I really don't care about his website....I have asked him many times to take them down!
It is very sad that Mike Morris sold something he did not even own for the last 3-4 years. And the real crappy part is now he in another e-mail produces new items that should have been in my grouping years ago (not pictures but company papers) (I bought boxes of stuff and it was to be everything he had) His excuse was (well I got those later from Atwood) (well Atwood was dead before I bought the boxes) so that statement does not wash...So now I find out he screwed me too!! . All Facts can all be proven.. I have never used this strong of language on a post before . So John good luck on getting your money back and glad I could help!

This thread is not going away.

Terrible about dishonest people! This is a small hobby compared to the "big" ones. Its nice to see that 95% of the members on here are good, cool guys. Sooner or later it will catch up to the deceivers. By the way, those pictures and daggers are awesome! You guys have so much history! Nice firing squad pic too Pat!

This is what I found On the Mike Morris website now. I'm very concerned about his mental health if he believes the last paragraph that he has added to his website to be true... . John, you do know he is still saying you got them and have sold them to me and you and I are holding him up!!! How can you track it when you have no tracking numbers ,customs documents etc matter of fact it really does not matter because nothing was shipped.... Below is from his website...

ORIGINAL EICKHORN FACTORY PAINTING, CASBERG PROTOTYPE SKETCHES', AND PHOTOS.
# 1- ORIGINAL PAINTING FOR THE CATALOGS
# 2- FORESTRY DAGGERS
# 3- MINERS SWORD
# 4- IMPERIAL NAVY DAGGER
# 5- PROTOTYPE SKETCH FOR THE NSKK HIGH LEADERS DAGGER BY CASBERG
# 6- PROTOTYPE SKETCH FOR AN IDIAN SWORD
# 7- CROSSGUARD FOR THE SPANISH SWORD
# 8- NAVAL SWORD
# 9- PROTOTYPE SKETCH OF THE 1929 SWORD
# 10- SAWBACK FORESTRY DAGGER
# 11- CASBERG PROTOTYPE SKETCH FOR THE SS HIGH LEADERS DAGGER
# 12- ORIGINAL WATER COLOR SKETCH FOR THE FORESTRY DAGGERS
# 13- A SALES LETTER DATED 1954 FOR THE LUFTWAFFE DAGGER 5K ( SOLD )
THESE ITEMS WERE SOLD TO JOHN ZELLER OF CANADA AND HAVE NEVER ARRIVED. THEY ARE BEING
TRACKED BY THE U. S.POSTAL SYSTEM AT THIS TIME. THE BOX IS 20 X 20 X 2 INCHES. JIM BROWN NEVER
HAD THESE DOCS, THEY WERE NOT INCLUDED IN HIS ORIGINAL PURCHASE. THE POSTAL INSPECTOR SAYS
THE PKG IS PROBABLY TIED UP IN CUSTOMS. HE SAYS HE CAN PROBABLY LOCATE IT.

Yep, I saw that.

He still insists that he mailed them out and that, if you have these items, you must have got them from me. I think that this comment alone probably slanders us both.

And, he is sending me copies of e-mails that he says he sent to various people in the USPS to try to find this package.

But, he has agreed to refund my money to me over time. We will see if that happens.

I feel like I am trapped in the Twilight Zone (the one with Rod Sterling not with the sexy vampires).

John

He will be at a show next weekend in TX 6 tables I heard... with banners wanted buying paying cash etc.... etc.... Hows that for salt on the wounds...

Morris's last comments are so RIDICULOUS and it just proves how dishonest this person is. A good friend of mine is the postal master here in Canada and here what he says in plain english, " no tracking number, impossible to trace the package ", end of the story.
The fact that he says that USPS is presently making an inquiry is absoluty BS and an insult to all of us.
He now also claims that John and Jim are in together to rip him off. If anyone knows John and Jim, they will tell you that none are more honest than these two gentlemen, I know !
We can't really say the same about the other dude and there is plenty of evidence on the web about his dishonest behavior, this isn't the first time and it will not be the last.

How can such a person be looking at himself in the mirror in the morning ?????

Fraud is a crime. This creature (I wouldn`t dignify him by any other term) is a criminal.
I don`t know how cross border litigation works out but he committed the crime in the U.S. so U.S law would prevail. I would have him in court and let him pay all the costs along with refunding my money not rely on his agreement to refund. He is obviously a pathological liar so any such agreement is completely worthless and he is not going to follow through.

In the U.K we can file a small claim (small claims court) for amounts under the equivalent of $7500 for a standard charge of �35 last time I looked. If there is a similar process in the U.S. judicial system that would be the way to go.

What a dirt bag!

If he is going to be at a show what about bowling up and taking the value in kind? With some company of course!

The problem with small claims court in the US is that you then have to figure out how to collect the money. People like this know ow to avoid such court judgements.

In the US, fraud is best left to the authorities. In this case the District Attorney nearest Morris.

Although, if I was a Canadian, I would first approach my own equivalient of the District Attorney. there may be treaties that would help.

In any case, this "I will pay you when I can stuff" never comes true in the US.

If anyone is going to the TX show, maybe they could take a picture of his table and signs.

And, perhaps tell him that John from Canada sends his regards?

Just to let him know that it is now a small world we all live in.

John

Several years ago I sent a high dollar item to Alaska via Fed Ex and it got lost in the mail. Six weeks later it turn up at the guys front door step. So hopefully your story will have a good ending. BTW Fed Ex proved most unhelpfull and I have not used them since.

Mr. Dow Cross Please read the complete post. He did not ship anything because I own it! And have for years... He just used old pictures on his website to sell it AGAIN Regards: James
One other thing I dislike Hippocrates at the end of all his e-mails Mike Morris of Relics of the Reich says (God Bless)
unbelievable!

THESE ITEMS WERE SOLD TO JOHN ZELLER OF CANADA AND HAVE NEVER ARRIVED. THEY ARE BEING
TRACKED BY THE U. S.POSTAL SYSTEM AT THIS TIME. THE BOX IS 20 X 20 X 2 INCHES. JIM BROWN NEVER
HAD THESE DOCS, THEY WERE NOT INCLUDED IN HIS ORIGINAL PURCHASE. THE POSTAL INSPECTOR SAYS
THE PKG IS PROBABLY TIED UP IN CUSTOMS. HE SAYS HE CAN PROBABLY LOCATE IT.

If Damast were to post these very same items that are supposedly held up in customs or maybe a receipt of the items purchased... I do believe this would prove for all that this individual isn't to be trusted. Damasts decision of course. Catch him in his lie and end this.

Thank you for the post, but this was posted on the end of post #259968 It sure is mind blowing

The sad part is Mikee he is telling people that John in fact got the items and sold them to me!! I DO HAVE E-MAILS WHEN PURCHASED IN 2007. Working on affidavits right now stating that I have had the items in question in my collection since than...... I will post pictures after I have ALL my ducks in a row...

This picture was taken in my home were these items have been since 2007 I do have all the items pictured on the Morris website...I have my ducks in a row now... These are not extras,doubles,or copies...

I'm sure John could now nail him for fraud and I could for slander..

I have a promise that the first installment of his repayment will be sent to me next week.

Let's see how that turns out before I seriously consider taking out the hammer.

John

I think we're looking at the new owners of "Relics of the Reich". He has a business. Team up, have him served and sue him.

Mr. Dow Cross Please read the complete post. He did not ship anything because I own it! And have for years... He just used old pictures on his website to sell it AGAIN Regards: James
One other thing I dislike Hippocrates at the end of all his e-mails Mike Morris of Relics of the Reich says (God Bless)
unbelievable!
DAMAST; Looks like the package won't be arriving anytime soon on this one. Enclosed is a reply from Jim M who gave me permission to post it.
Hi Dow:
I don�t post there anymore so I can�t see these pictures but I did read the thread. However, I do know something about this situation. Mike Morris at one time had a slug of Eickhorn material including the items mentioned and also items such as Casberg�s sketches of an SS replacement prototype dagger. I remember the SS prototype daggers sketches specifically as it was a truly striking design. He also had some large files and factory ledgers filled with Eickhorn correspondence as well. I�m afraid I don�t remember much the details as this was several years ago. I�m drawing this from memory of the pictures he sent me. Perhaps Damask can tell you specifically what he was offered. I was offered it all for a believe $10,000. While I found it intriguing I didn�t go for it but asked Mike at the time why he didn�t contact Tom Johnson as he was a more suitable person to by this material? T Johnson as we all know has quite a library of original Eickhorn material and he could probably had written this purchase off as a business expense. IMO; The was enough new material to support a couple of new dagger books in there. I never did get a suitable answer to this question. I want to point out that I have NO specific knowledge of any attempt at wrongdoing but the whole scenario seemed strange to me at the time.

I won�t post there on GDC but you are free to post this information if you choose to do so.

I am also ccing a couple of members who may remember being solicited with this offering.

Jim

I'm late to the 'crash scene' but I extend my sympathies to John and James getting involved with this obvious crook.
Looks simple to me, Dealer Mike sold items he already sold and sent away years ago to James. Shorting James at the time by pulling mat'l out of the grouping. John just got plain defrauded. There was no package sent.
These criminals are getting more blatant. I recall a friend of mine getting a brick in his package from a overseas dealer who said it must have been 'known postal criminals operating in that postal hub in the U.S'.

Anyway...that evidence John and James have I'm sure the Texas District Attorney would want to see.

In most states fraud for $5,000. is a Felony offense, but in Texas I think you can still get 'The Chair'.


-serge-

Agree with everything, but please tone down the language just a little, please.

Dave

John & James,

Sorry about being new to the party. Surprising stuff to read but my first sentiment is that I'm sorry both of you got dragged into something like this. John, I hope it works out in the end & you get your funds returned.

So, does what happened to me or to Damast constiture 'mail fraud' as deifned under federal statutes?

John

John,

Based on what I've read here, Mike selling you an item he no longer had in his possession to sell in the first place would probably be catagorized as a larceny by false pretenses (or some similar title depending on the specific jurisdiction), to wit, his not having the items to sell in the first place.

With respect to using the mails to further the sale, I'd think mail fraud could potentially be added but we may be talking about different sovereigns here (state or local jurisdiction vs. federal jurisdiction). That said, I know the postal inspectors in both our countries are usually hot to jump on such an incident.

As I suggested a few days ago, call the Postal Inspectors. They can tell you.

Dave

John may I suggest you go through your MLA he has direct access to the postal bureaucracy and you will get first class attention to you situation, it has worked well for me up here.

PAUL

Just a quick update on this.

I received the first installment on the repayment today, good news.

Still lots more to come, but a good start.

Mike is still trying to find the package that he claims he sent out by talking to the US and Canadian postal services.

More to follow,

John

Thats a great start!

Hi guys sorry to hear about this...Please a point of clarification. Relics of the Reich continues to be mentioned. Is it the same Relics of the Reich that has an advertising banner on this very site? I have dealt with Paul Jarvis of Relics of the Reich numerous times and know both he and Kent to be honourable. I do believe that if you are indicating a store owned by Mike Morris called Relics of the Reich you 1) may want to clarify as much or 2) might want to check that you have the correct name 3) if the names are the same you might want to clarify because I was already concerned and confused when I first read this entire exchange..just saying...cheers, Ryan

I am talking about Mike Morris of this web site:

http://www.relicsofthereichs.com/

John

Mr. Sellick please read the posts... Not to worry his name is mentioned (Mike) at least 20-25 times the 1st 5 pages alone and sometimes with last name Morris. So One more time Mike Morris Relics of the Reichs Bad news. He has been caught in a huge scam.. And it is plain to see..

Both web sites are almost identical ;

The one in England is www.relicsofthereich.com and the one from Morris is www.relicsofthereichs.com, only the letter "s" at the end of the word reich are different.

What package?????? This is a total untruth as (WE) know!