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Letter/Newspaper article from `The Mail On Sunday`
Auctioneer lost my son's toys
Mrs D. H. writes: My disabled son collected Star Wars memorabilia. Sadly he died last May, aged 36. I contacted auctioneer Vectis in Stockton-on-Tees, Teesside, and a van took away his collection for sale. However, the auction catalogue included only a small part of his collection. Vectis said 600 items were handed to someone by mistake. It offered me £1,450, the mid-price of the sale estimates, for each lot.
VECTIS specialises in auctioning collectible toys and it seems someone else submitted his Star Wars collection for sale but then changed his mind. He picked up his goods and by mistake Vectis also handed over hundreds of your son's items. Vectis informed the police but the collector simply told them all the Star Wars items were his.
Surely Vectis had photographs of at least some of your collection for its auction catalogue? Well, no. Manager Vicky Weall told me: 'Unfortunately, as the man in question withdrew his lots before the photography stage, the items were not photographed.'
Well couldn't Vectis sue him to recover your property? I was told: 'As we do not have enough evidence, we have been advised it would be difficult to win a civil case.' So Vectis has neither pictures nor adequate written records.
I have no idea of the value of Star Wars memorabilia. Vectis says you would have received about £790, which makes its offer of £1,450 appear generous. But you will judge this better than I can. If the figures do not add up, sue Vectis. Perhaps that would spur the company into suing the mystery collector.
Auctioneer lost my son's toys
Mrs D. H. writes: My disabled son collected Star Wars memorabilia. Sadly he died last May, aged 36. I contacted auctioneer Vectis in Stockton-on-Tees, Teesside, and a van took away his collection for sale. However, the auction catalogue included only a small part of his collection. Vectis said 600 items were handed to someone by mistake. It offered me £1,450, the mid-price of the sale estimates, for each lot.
VECTIS specialises in auctioning collectible toys and it seems someone else submitted his Star Wars collection for sale but then changed his mind. He picked up his goods and by mistake Vectis also handed over hundreds of your son's items. Vectis informed the police but the collector simply told them all the Star Wars items were his.
Surely Vectis had photographs of at least some of your collection for its auction catalogue? Well, no. Manager Vicky Weall told me: 'Unfortunately, as the man in question withdrew his lots before the photography stage, the items were not photographed.'
Well couldn't Vectis sue him to recover your property? I was told: 'As we do not have enough evidence, we have been advised it would be difficult to win a civil case.' So Vectis has neither pictures nor adequate written records.
I have no idea of the value of Star Wars memorabilia. Vectis says you would have received about £790, which makes its offer of £1,450 appear generous. But you will judge this better than I can. If the figures do not add up, sue Vectis. Perhaps that would spur the company into suing the mystery collector.
-Tallahassee 
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