R. L. Wilson Fraud

[outta_ammo]

I just ran accross a Forgotten Weapons vid with Ian discussing the R. L. Wilson fraud, and thought about the C&Rsenal podcast from around Christmas last year that discussed it at length. And it occurred to me that I don't recall seeing anything about this on the forum.

This has little impact on the S&W community, but huge impact on the Colt community. As Ian put it while holding copies of Colt Heritage, and Colt An American Legend, "they're pretty, but useless."

Take a listen...

True Crime Collector Skulduggery: R.L. Wilson and the “Trade of the Century” – Forgotten Weapons

 

[Valmet]

There’s a full interview/podcast if one is a Patreon of C&Rsenal about this. Interesting to say the least. I met Wilson on several occasions and was surprised by the info. That said, I’ve discarded most of the books he’d written.

 

[swagmeister]

I saw the video several weeks ago. Ian makes a pretty convincing case that Mr. Wilson was involved in questionable activity. Was interesting to hear.

 

[03clyde]

Very well presented by Ian.

 

[DWalt]

There are many just like that in the world of fine art and antique documents.

Ever see the documentary about the wine dealer forgery fraud? He had all of the world's most prominent wine authorities fooled. He was brought down by one of the wealthy Koch brothers (a major wine collector) who finally figured out something odd was going on.

 

[luvsmiths]

There are many just like that in the world of fine art and antique documents.

Ever see the documentary about the wine dealer forgery fraud? He had all of the world's most prominent wine authorities fooled. He was brought down by one of the wealthy Koch brothers (a major wine collector) who finally figured out something odd was going on.

I wonder how the Koch brothers would be able to spot a crook?

 

[2152hq]

R.L. 'Larry' Wilson (Robert Lawrence) was the brain behind locking engraver Alvin White into a years long exclusive contract. That taking away any artistic freedom from White.
AA White Engravers INC was the company.
Herb Glas (sp?) was the VP of the co. He was a long time antique arms dealer from NY.
Many engravers were used to do the work under AA White's name,,White himself only did some of the high profile work for publicity and the like.

Wilson's world came crashing down with the scams unfolding and also his wife Charlotte finding out about Larry's just a bit too close of a friendship with his secretary.
Some of the scams themselves went back into the 80's.

Charlotte is a lady from a well to do CT family. Her family and it's $$ and connections were a key to Larry success no doubt.

"Here's your birthday present darling,,a new Ferrari from your new bride".
Nothing new for Larry really, he had already had and sold a mid 1930's Rolls.
Bought and sold was what he liked to do.

But when the divorce entered the picture, The dream house, cars and property, 10acres in Hadlyme, Ct (sp?) went up for sale and auction. Everything was for sale. That was in 2001.
The F1 race car in Larry's office to the stuffed White Lion. The antique furniture, the full size reproduction Stage Coach, firearms,,everything.
I wonder if the new residents of ever kept the Colt Blue Dome replica gazebo in the expansive yard in tact.

Most interest at the auction was for the firearms and accessorys/related items.
Furniture was begging for bids in the later hrs of the auction.

Larry laid low in SF,Cal for most of time after that. But he did still pop up at some of the better gunshows. Still dressed up as an important person as always.
At one such show he was set up and would for $100 plus a shot of a certain top shelf product, write and sign a letter of authenticity about your firearm on his personal RL Wilson letterhead stationary.
His first question to you the owner of the firearm was 'Well, What'd you want it to say?'

 

[Johnnu2]

Found this just now... my bad, looks like the original OPs post...apologies.

"True Crime Collector Skulduggery: R.L. Wilson and the “Trade of the Century”
"R.L. Wilson was a pillar of the firearms collecting community, and especially the Colt collecting community, in the 1970s and 80s. He wrote a slew of books on Colt, and was a major broker, dealer, and appraiser. He also betrayed the trust people put in him, as best exemplified by the “trade of the century”, in which he swindled 290 firearms out of the Connecticut State Library museum in exchange for 8 guns and a cane (including two stolen guns and two later generally accepted to be fakes). Today we will talk about that story…

If you want to hear more about Wilson’s work, I would encourage you to subscribe to support C&Rsenal on Patreon, and check out the two-hour podcast Othais and Cody Museum Associate Curator Danny Michael did on the topic.

You can also download a huge PDF of Connecticut State Police files on the investigation to read yourself"

found here: True Crime Collector Skulduggery: R.L. Wilson and the “Trade of the Century” – Forgotten Weapons

My daddy told me: "don't invest in anything that you aren't an expert in"...I don't invest in anything....period.
J.

 

[outta_ammo]

There’s a full interview/podcast if one is a Patreon of C&Rsenal about this. Interesting to say the least. I met Wilson on several occasions and was surprised by the info. That said, I’ve discarded most of the books he’d written.

I just re-listened to that podcast—all two hours of it—after watching Ian's vid. Makes me glad I'm not a Colt Guy. It would be sort of like finding out that Jinks and Supica just made it all up...

I know there had to be other C&Rsenal subscribers here somewhere.

 

[AJ]

There are folks out there that still defend him

 

[LVSteve]

There's a guy back East who did low level stuff with Enfield rifles that I nearly fell foul of some years back when after an Indian made SMLE. Getting the fonts correct is basic when humping a collector rifle, as is polishing out your grind marks.

 

[tops]

My daddy told me: "don't invest in anything that you aren't an expert in".
J.

I think your daddy is a smart man. Larry

 

[Absalom]

R. L. Wilson was able to take advantage of an atmosphere of reverence and longing for authority figures in the gun community.

That was very prevalent among collectors and firearms enthusiasts at a time when you couldn’t easily check things yourself. Fortunately that has changed dramatically.

Back then, if somebody said “according to Wilson”, that was gospel, and people were appalled if you asked how he determined that or to see some documentation.

Quite apart from the actual criminal fraud, Wilson hobbled generations of collectors with his fake data.

For example, only through collecting data from the internet on actual lettered guns did it become clear that his serial ranges for some WW II-era Colts were simply made up. And those serial ranges still are the basis of serial charts like proofhouse.com and even the “official” Colt online serial look-up.

 

[IrishFritz]

I was a dealer on the antique gun show circuit now many years ago and Wilson and another dealer conspired to defraud me over an engraved Newburyport Ballard rifle. When I confronted the two of them I was told that " you learn the f***ing hard way in this business". I learned that lesson well.

 

[chief38]

Unfortunately, there are too many "RL Wilson's" out there in too many industries. I've learned a few lessons over the past and have steered clear of so called "self proclaimed experts" like steering away from giant pot-holes in the road.

About two years ago I was in a well known jewelry store in my neighborhood having two new batteries installed in two of my wife's watches. While there waiting a young woman came in with an engagement ring her husband had bought her a few years earlier - from that very store. A nasty divorce had taken place and she wanted to sell the store back her engagement ring. When the store owner offered her just barely above 10% of what the original cost was, she freaked out! She had to be escorted out of the store yelling and screaming - it was quite a scene! The owner looked at me with an embarrassing smirk on his face and after getting my two batteries installed that was the last time I went in there. Unfortunately in the jewelry business this is all to common place.

We can keep going, - the automobile business, home repairs, collectible artwork, etc. etc. When someone has to solely rely on a single "expert" for both the buyer and the seller's interests, trouble is usually in the air!

 

[AJ]

Unfortunately, there are too many "RL Wilson's" out there in too many industries. I've learned a few lessons over the past and have steered clear of so called "self proclaimed experts" like steering away from giant pot-holes in the road.

About two years ago I was in a well known jewelry store in my neighborhood having two new batteries installed in two of my wife's watches. While there waiting a young woman came in with an engagement ring her husband had bought her a few years earlier - from that very store. A nasty divorce had taken place and she wanted to sell the store back her engagement ring. When the store owner offered her just barely above 10% of what the original cost was, she freaked out! She had to be escorted out of the store yelling and screaming - it was quite a scene! The owner looked at me with an embarrassing smirk on his face and after getting my two batteries installed that was the last time I went in there. Unfortunately in the jewelry business this is all to common place.

We can keep going, - the automobile business, home repairs, collectible artwork, etc. etc. When someone has to solely rely on a single "expert" for both the buyer and the seller's interests, trouble is usually in the air!

Jewelers are no different than gun dealers, they are in business to make money. What they have is gold and what you have is junk. Buy low and sell high. Sometimes you run into one who is more honest than others. The local gun shop here likes to buy at well less than 50% of book value and sell the same item at retail. Have seen dealer (in shop and at shows using Blue Books that are 10-20 years old as a reference they show the folks they are buying from.

 

[chief38]

I am a retired self employed business man and I am for Capitalism all the way. I am for making a fair profit however that certainly does not include cheating people based on false pretenses. I can look in the mirror and honestly say that every sale I ever made the customer received what they paid for and I made a fair profit to cover my expenses, rent, insurance, payroll, etc. leaving a fair profit for myself. I never cheated, defrauded or gouged anyone over my entire career and being that I live in the very Town and community I worked in, that is a good thing since I run in to my former customers all the time.

This RL Wilson guy set out to defraud, cheat and gouge and is just a bad apple in the industry. Last I heard he was in prison but I don'y know his status now.

 

[Johnnu2]

Q. How do you know when a salesman/woman (put your own term in the parens) is lying? (Except you Chief ))))
A. When his/her lips are moving.

We should start a thread just for stories of how various 'dealers' of any type of merchandise have cheated customers.....

I've witnessed local gun shops, jewelry stores, auto merchants, realtors, home repair professionals etc. do some really low-handed deals.... but then, I'm OLD and have had hundreds, if not thousands, of opportunities to witness greed. YET, I'm still amazed each time it shows itself.

I often wonder how many of us here have taken advantage of an unsuspecting seller (?) I can honestly say the I have not.....

J

 

[OFT II]

Wilson died in 2016.

 

[Johnnu2]

Wilson died in 2016.

Hopefully, he didn't breed....!

J.