“Claims of ballot stuffing taint Mushroom Festival's car show - Daily Local News” plus 4 more

Claims of ballot stuffing taint Mushroom Festival's car show - Daily Local News
Toy story: Antiques seen fetching millions - People's Daily Online
Customers always come first - The London Free Press
KB Toys founder auctioning off collection in US - Newsday
Founder of KB Toys auctioning off collection in NJ - Berkshire Eagle

Claims of ballot stuffing taint Mushroom Festival's car show - Daily Local News

Posted: 26 Sep 2009 03:06 AM PDT

By FRAN MAYE, Special to the Local News

This lime green 1969 Oldsmobile Cutlass won Best of Show, the People's Choice and Best of the '60s awards at the Mushroom Festival. Some car show participants claim the car won the awards because of ballot stuffing.

Claims of ballot stuffing at the Kennett Square Mushroom Festival Car Show has the director of the event threatening to quit, and some car enthusiasts vowing never to participate in the event again.

And Kathi Lafferty, Mushroom Festival coordinator, said there would no longer be awards issued at future car shows.

The car that won Best of Show, the People's Choice and the Best of the '60s was a lime green 1969 Oldsmobile Cutlass with a sign inside that read

"Under Construction." The front and rear seats were stained and there were interior and exterior scratches. The car is owned by Danny Sheets of North Walnut Street in Kennett Square.

"That car did not deserve to win," said Ed Anskis, director of the car show. "It's very possible that anyone can win when you stuff the box with 20, 30 or 40 votes."

John Cameron, who entered his pristine 1966 Pontiac GTO convertible with 41,000 miles, valued at $130,000, said he was disappointed in this year's show. He said it's unfair to those who enter to have a car show that's allegedly rigged.

"I don't mind it if I lost, but to lose to a car that had a cardboard sign saying it was under construction is just not fair," Cameron said. "That car shouldn't have even been in the car show. What kind of message are we sending to our kids when you can have nice street rods and lose to this kind of car? You should win on your own merit."

The lime green car also beat out an immaculate 1964 Ford Mustang convertible with only 100 miles on it that was shipped in from St. Louis.

But Sheets said his car is very rare and he put a lot of work into it. "The interior needs work, but I put $3,000 into the motor and $750 into the trans," Sheets said. "I'm on the road a lot, and I can tell you I don't see any '69s very often. I see '68s and '70s, but not '69s. It was made when I was in Vietnam."

Sheets said he has invested $20,000 in his car, which was recently completely overhauled. He estimated he put $7,400 into new paint and body work. The car has a 350-cubic-inch engine with a two-barrel carburetor and a single exhaust.

"I really don't think we need awards at the Mushroom Festival car show anyway," said Bob Blittersdorf, of Blitz Automotive on East State Street near Race Street. "The car show should be fair. We're going to end up having a show with guys entering it for all the wrong reasons."

Anskis said even his $32,000 2008 Harley Screaming Eagle won no awards, even though only three motorcycles entered with eight total prizes available. He said he was seriously considering quitting. "I really don't need this aggravation," he said. "That car (lime green car) was not that impressive."

People who entered cars in the show were given a ballot to vote. Ballots were also available to spectators. Blittersdorf said there was no accountability of the voting process, and that it is entirely possible for friends and family to stuff the ballot box.

Sheets acknowledged he had many friends, family and co-workers at the car show, but didn't know how they voted. He said those who didn't win were just sour grapes.

"Hey, I didn't even vote," he said. "Maybe they're sore, I have the trophies and they don't."

All of the events at the Mushroom Festival — including the car show — are run by volunteers, and Lafferty said she did not want one event to put a stain on it.

"This is an all-volunteer organization, and we do the best we can," she said. "We try to make everyone happy, but Jan and I can't do it all. There's no (car show) prizes next year. We just want it to be a fun thing people come to enjoy."

Last year was the first year awards were issued at the car show. The car show winner was Ed Touhy, who entered a 1957 Chevy.

The value of the trophies given to car show winners is about $300.

"I feel bad for the people who run the (Mushroom) show," Cameron said. "This is really disheartening."

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Toy story: Antiques seen fetching millions - People's Daily Online

Posted: 26 Sep 2009 02:16 AM PDT

More than a thousand antique automotive toys will go on the block this week as Donald Kaufman, whose family founded KB Toys, auctions off his private collection.

Kaufman, who began collecting toys in 1950, is among the world's top antique toy collectors, with roughly 7,500 pieces focusing mainly on tin and cast-iron vehicles such as cars, planes, boats and trucks.

The entire collection is being auctioned in a series of sales taking place over the next few years, giving collectors and enthusiasts a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, according to Jeanne Bertoia, owner of Bertoia Auctions in Vineland, New Jersey, which is handling the auctions.

"He was one of the strongest buyers at all the antique toy auction houses and he just really bought the best," Bertoia said. "When his paddle went up, people in the audience would say 'oh darn, Don's in the house'."

A rare boxed example of Mickey and Minnie Mouse on a motorcycle dating from the early 1930s is shown in this undated handout photo.[Agencies]
The first auction of Kaufman's toys, held in March, raised $4.2 million. The second auction will take place on Friday and Saturday and is expected to bring in roughly $2 million to $2.5 million, Bertoia said.

One highlight is a rare boxed example of Mickey and Minnie Mouse on a motorcycle dating from the early 1930s, which Bertoia estimated at $40,000 to $60,000. She noted, however, that because this is an absolute auction, every lot must sell, even if the offer is lower than estimated.

"In any big auction there's always opportunities for bargains," Bertoia said. She guessed that overall prices for antique toys are now about 15 percent softer than they were before the recession.

This week's auction will include an array of early 20th-century luxury toy cars, many of which are still in their original boxes.

Richard Bertoia, a Bertoia associate, believes a Renault touring car is worth $25,000 to $30,000. He said the toy was found in a Paris factory after a toy show in 1928 and bought by an Italian count. Kaufman picked up the car several years ago at an auction of the count's collection.

An antique automotive toy from the private collection of Donald Kaufman, whose family founded KB Toys, is shown in this undated handout photo.[Agencies]
"It was a life for me, especially after I retired," Kaufman said by phone from his home in Massachusetts. "It was a big part of my life."

There are also several hand-made, hand-painted Marklin cars from around 1905 that "have the $50,000 potential," he said.

"I'm not one to use the word exquisite very often but that would be as close," he said. "It's a visual history in miniature because these cars were duplicated from what the toy masters saw driving on the rough roads back then."

Kaufman's collecting intensified after he retired in 1981 and he and other family members sold their stake in KB Toys.

KB filed for bankruptcy in December, citing a sharp drop in sales and held "going out of business" sales at its roughly 460 stores. Rival retailer Toys "R" Us then bought KB's trademark, logos and Web addresses at a bankruptcy auction for $2.1 million.

In an interview, Kaufman said he was "disappointed" to hear that KB went out of business even though he was not surprised.

About the auction, Kaufman said he expects it to be "great" since toys bring a lot of "interest and excitement" to people's lives, as they did to his.

Source: China Daily/Agencies

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Customers always come first - The London Free Press

Posted: 26 Sep 2009 12:14 AM PDT

At 63, Londoner Randy Collins says he has no plans to retire.

"I'm still having fun," says the outgoing and rather cherubic head of a successful family of companies.

Who wouldn't?

Aside from two car dealerships, Collins also owns "the ultimate toy store."

Oh, and a big Yamaha motorcycle and a sporty blue Sky sports car built by Saturn.

In fact, Collins is planning further moves for the Collins Family of Companies that just might involve new auto-related ventures. It's just too soon to talk about them.

His key to success, he says, has been putting customers first. He recently drew headlines when he said he would continue his London Saturn dealership, even though the firm that bought the brand from General Motors is pulling the plug on shipments to Canada.

"It's been a really exhilarating experience," he says. "The response from customers is unbelievable." They don't want to be abandoned with "orphan" cars, so Collins bought units from Saturn dealers who closed and will continue selling and servicing them until a hoped-for new car is brought to Canada.

He has faith new product will appear. And faith is a big part of Collins' life. A practising Christian and a member of Promise Keepers, he believes in the power of prayer.

"I'm duck soup without the Lord," he readily admits.

Collins also believes in the bonds of family. Audrey, his wife of 45 years, handles some accounting and focuses on customer satisfaction. Sons Charles and Gord and daughter Becky all play key roles at Hully Gully Ultimate Toy Store, Ultimate Suzuki and London Saturn-Saab. Even a son-in-law and granddaughter are involved in the family businesses.

The Collins empire has about 100 employees and on average sells about 4,000 vehicles, motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, lawn mowers and boats annually.

"It's family and family values and it's all about energy," he says. "Our energy comes from working with people."

Through Saturn, Collins has also put back into the community, building six Saturn playgrounds in London.

Collins said the key to success is simple: "Perseverance. We have fallen down lots of times and haven't given up yet."

He's come a long way from a childhood in Essex County, where he was president of the Junior Farmers and later went off to work at a Chrysler plant as a fitter.

He heart was in farming, so in 1969 he and Audrey bought a 85-hectare (210-acre) farm near Varna in the heart of Huron County. Because of its rolling terrain, it was known as Hully Gully Farm. They raised Holstein cattle and were milking 35 cows a day.

Life changed for the couple when the savage snowstorm of 1971 hit and they bought a snowmobile, fully intending to sell it after the winter. But they liked it, kept it and began selling the units and all-terrain vehicles from their garage. A year later, they added motorcycles.

"It seemed like a lot of fun," Collins remembers. And they did well. Eventually, they sold the cows and began selling first Suzuki and then Honda motorcycles, success at which won them two trips to Japan.

"It was crazy," he recalls, "we were working all the time." They added a track for moto-cross and snowmobiles and built chalets for overnight guests.

But they wanted to get into the car business in the mistake belief it might ease their workload.

Collins approached Honda about opening a dealership in Exeter or Goderich, but the manufacturer persuaded them instead to open a "flagship" store for their motorcycle and other non-automotive products in London. So, in 1986 they opened Hully Gully on Wharncliffe Rd. and sold 50 motorcycles the first day.

"It was phenomenal," says Collins, who is prone to hyperbole and, by his own admission, wears his heart on his sleeve.

Hully Gully became a top retailer for Honda, and in 2000 Collins opened a Passport dealership for imported General Motors products. He converted that to Saturn in 2002. Sales of Saturn were slow at first, but the business grew to become a top-10 retailer.

In 2006, Collins opened Ultimate Suzuki, which sells motorcycles, cars and SUVs.

Today, he chairs the London and St. Thomas Automobile Dealers Association. And he's busier than ever, often working to 8 p.m. daily.

Collins concedes the past nine months, amid the economic downturn, have been difficult and his staff have learned to follow customers in "the shift to thrift."

"The most important thing is to be positive," he says. With his large customer base, Collins says the focus of his varied enterprises remains keeping customer needs first.

And the fun looks after itself.

chip.martin@sunmedia.ca

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KB Toys founder auctioning off collection in US - Newsday

Posted: 25 Sep 2009 08:46 PM PDT

September 25, 2009 By The Associated Press

VINELAND, New Jersey (AP) — One of the greatest automotive toy collections in the world is being auctioned off in New Jersey.

KB Toy founder Donald Kaufman is selling thousands of the toys he's collected over the last half-century. The cache includes cars, buses, airplanes, motorcycles and fire engines dating from the early 1900s to the 1960s. Some are in their original boxes.

The toys will be sold Friday and Saturday at Bertoia Auctions in Vineland, The Press of Atlantic City reported.

The first half of the collection was sold in March. It netted more than $4 million in bids from toy collectors who flew in from around the world.

The 78-year-old Kaufman says he's selling his toys because his daughters aren't interested in inheriting them.

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Founder of KB Toys auctioning off collection in NJ - Berkshire Eagle

Posted: 25 Sep 2009 07:56 PM PDT

VINELAND, N.J. (AP) - One of the greatest automotive toy collections in the world is being auctioned in New Jersey.

KB Toys founder Donald Kaufman of Richmond, Mass., is selling thousands of the toys he's collected over the last half-century. The cache includes cars, buses, airplanes, motorcycles and fire engines dating from the early 1900s. Some are in their original boxes.

The toys will be sold Friday and Saturday at Bertoia Auctions in Vineland.

The first half of the collection sold in March netted more than $4 million in bids from toy collectors from around the world.

The 78-year-old Kaufman says he's selling his toys because his daughters aren't interested in inheriting them.

Kaufman's family sold the chain of retail toy stores base in Pittsfield, Mass. in 1981. The company declared bankruptcy last December.

Information from: The Press of Atlantic City, http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com