Scott Tagliapietra's workshop photos

  *Anyone interested in purchasing my book, "Christmas Rarities" as of July 19, 2022 there are now only 25 left in existence. These are brand new, cellophane wrapped, mint condition. Any book being sold on Ebay or Amazon or anywhere else are stolen books. Send an email to christmasrarities@gmail.com if interested. Cost $275.

Any books being sold at the Convention are most likely stolen books. You can read the story here: https://lindaraymondisathief.blogspot.com/

FYI

For anyone interested in viewing the ornaments photographed in my book, "Christmas Rarities" you can view them on Flickr. The link is: https://www.flickr.com/photos/john_lightner/albums

July 10, 2019

Golden Glow Members,

I promised to publish an explosive story about the Golden Glow Club and here it is with a short background story. You can read my entire blog at: https://goldenglowclub.blogspot.com.

So here we are on the cusp of the 2019 Golden Glow Convention to be held in Lancaster PA. This year the co-chairmen are Steve Wilt, Jim Morrison and Craig McManus, three corrupt con men, frauds and clowns.

Steve Wilt is a classless lowlife. As some of you know my $2K rare white feather tree was stolen at a convention in 2006 in Lancaster. I went to Jim Morrison who told me to go see Steve Wilt a man I did not know and never met. He was with Jack Marowski. As I have stated since 2006 and in my blogs Wilt said to me, “Well how do we know you really had a feather tree”? “We really don’t know if you brought one here.” “Maybe you just want to make an insurance claim”.  This is “after” the night manager at the hotel substantiated my story to security.  He had helped me unload my boxes, put them on a flat bed and took them to my room.

I asked Wilt to make an announcement asking if anyone found it and he refused. I was aghast at this moron's indifference. I exploded and swore at him and then Jack Marowski who was not even a board member said I was out of the convention. This is how these morally corrupt individuals run the club. And this set the stage for my expulsion of the club and blacklisting. (I of course just laughed at both of them and stayed the whole convention). The full story is in my blog listed below.

Jim Morrison. Well, sorry Jim but you are also a fraud in my view. I’ll give everyone a few examples of what Jim is really like. First, at the 2005 or 2006 convention Jim had a very rare ornament he was trying to sell. It was the Noah’s Arc ornament. He saw me and asked me if I wanted it knowing I collected rare orns. I asked him what he wanted for it and he told me $1500. I said ok it’s a deal but I have a meeting I am late for and when I get back from my meeting I will look you up and pay you for it. After my meeting I found Jim and asked him for the ornament and he said to me he sold it for more money to Fred Cannon.  There are a lot of dealers like this in the club. 

Ex number two. Jim Morrison for years sold fake kugels. This is all documented in my blogs.  I bought fakes kugels he sold to Ruth Riege. When I was researching the great kugel conspiracy, perhaps the greatest fraud ever perpetrated on Christmas ornament collectors, I found out he had sold kugels for Lawrence Cooper a London dealer.  Lawrence Cooper and Richard Wright of the Roadshow fame went to India in the 80’s and brought back thousands of kugels, some perhaps from Germany (never documented) but a lot from India-fakes.

They scammed the collectors. They sold fakes and knew it. After I bought 40K plus of kugels from Scott T and posted some for sale on Ebay I received a tip they were fakes made in India. I went to India at great expense and found the shop where they were made. I found the fakes and bought for $5 ea. Scott was a frequent visitor of Wright's.

Later, I tried to get Morrison to talk about what he knew and he refused to talk to me.  His museum closed down mostly due to mismanagement. I am hearing there are backers looking for a lot of missing pieces. Jim Morrison is part of the evil GG cabal.

When I published my book, “Christmas Rarities” in 2007 I asked Tony Annese, board President if he would announce it at the opening dinner. He refused stating, “The Golden Glow Club cannot endorse any book”. Annese is of course another lowlife and part of the GG cabal. They did of course endorse Jim Morrison’s museum. They even ran vans to it from the Lancaster convention. And of course they endorse all kinds of member businesses. These fraudsters are total hypocrites but they cover for other members even if they are crooks or criminals or sexual perverts.  But if you cross one of the evil cabal they libel and slander you and expel you.   And they are all powerful. They will threaten anyone no matter what standing they have in the club.

Dave Eppleheimer, RIP, a “lifetime” member, Betty Bell and Tony Johnson all major collectors and people with impeccable reputations were all threatened by Kim Knight and told to mind their own business when they inquired about my expulsion. I have a copy of the letter Knight sent to Eppleheimer in my blog.  I am sure she never thought it would see the light of day but she is fairly stupid and Eppleheimer sent it to me.

Craig McManus owns maybe the largest kugel collection in the world. Scott is a nice guy but he has no integrity. When I found out that I had bought thousands of dollars worth of fake kugels made in India from Scott Tagliapietra, a good friend of Richard Wright who visited him often in his store in PA  I went to Craig and told him. I had received a tip that they were fake and made in India. You can read about it in my blog. I went to India, luckily found them and bought them for $5.  I told Craig we have to make an announcement to keep folks from getting ripped off.  Craig’s response to me was if we go public all the kugels become worthless. Better to keep quiet.  Regretfully, I only contacted kugel collectors I knew. Craig never said anything to anyone to this day. He spends most of his time now days talking to ghosts.

On a side note about ten years ago a major kugel player came in to town.  A guy named Joe Krisky who has deep pockets and bid on and won every major kugel auction on Ebay bought my entire collection of the rarer pieces of kugels in the world. I even introduced him to the major kugel collectors around the world. He even published a nice book on kugels. About two years ago he emailed me asking for my help in documenting the legitimacy of the "Antique German Kugel". I declined to help him. I did a book already. He posted a request on his FB page asking for help from anyone who collects kugels for any documentation as to their legitimacy. I have not seen one post from anyone.

I am curious what documentation he has come up with.  I noted recently he has for the last couple of years started to sell off some major one of a kind kugels as well as a lot of other kugels. That 4 3/4"amethyst grape kugel I sold him is a one of a kind. That 5" black grape is unbelievably rare. Very strange to see him unloading rare kugels. Maybe his research backs up my research-most are not antique kugels from Germany at all. 

 My punishment for exposing corruption and fraud in the club was to get expelled from the club, slandered and libeled by Kim Knight, Michael Rhoads, Steve Wilt, Jack Maroski, Lillie Ghidiu, Tony Annese and Steven Daniels.  Simply put they said I had cheated collectors for years in the club. I asked to confront my accusers. I asked for proof.

Almost every year I send an email to the current board members asking them to investigate what happened and every year not one return email. They all know it was a con job. No one ever complained about me. They got away with it. 

As I have stated many times inn 50 years of collecting no one EVER accused me of cheating them. I never received any warnings or letters or phone calls from any collector or club board member. They violated their own rules to get even with me. It’s all in my blogs. It was a blacklisting con job perpetrated mostly by Wilt and Rhoads and Knight.  Rhoads is the clown who thinks it is ok to steal photos from collectors’ publications or books without consent and publish them in the Glow Magazine. (He actually sent me an email admitting it.) He's just another idiot and morally corrupt individual running the club.

These board members and all the board members to date are aware of massive amounts of club violations and fraud in selling and rule violations. They know who some of these dealers are and have protected them. They even protect pedophiles in the club.   

For 20 or more years I have known that Scott Tagliapietra has doctored ornaments by repainting them and mixed and matched Santas and other Christmas items and sold them all as original. I have many many emails attesting to that.  Years ago Monica Laytham came to me with a story. Scott had sold her a Santa doctored up for 10K.

Joey Zinn, a partner of Scott’s for years did the repair work on all these Christmas items. He became a friend of Monica’s, apparently had a pang of conscience and told her she bought fraudulent items.  Monica said Zinn wanted to contact me.

Zinn originally was going to send me photos of all the fake work but then changed his mind. This goes back to 2010. I could accuse Scott of selling fake kugels but I wasn’t going to go public and accuse him of doctoring Santa etc without proof. 

I know for a fact that Scott had a “made in Germany” stamp made up. I wonder why anyone would need that. Hmm.  Well, Zinn finally relented and sent me photos of Scott’s workshop and some doctored pieces.  Bill Steeley got taken big time. He bought an expensive Santa that was doctored. This is maybe bad Karma for Bill because Monica told him back in 2010 that Scott was a fraud and was willing to meet with him and show proof and according to Monica, Bill did not believe her. I have published all her emails to me and Zinn’s in my blogs.

Monica no longer corresponds with me and my take is she was threatened. Customers’ who have been ripped off do not want to admit it. Just ask Jo Wagner.  She had three fake kugels she bought from Scott.  When she told me that was impossible because she bought them from Scott it was all I could do to not laugh out loud. (I photographed her collection for my book)

Zinn said he had photographed all his work he did for Scott. His position is that he worked for Scott and got paid to do what Scott asked him to do. But he knew what was happening. And these are just a small sampling of the work done. Customers’ have been ripped off for tens of thousands of dollars over the years. And Tagliapietra is not the only fraud.

Board members have been aware for many years about some of the fraudulent dealers but done nothing. They have protected these dealers because it is a cult.  A corrupt cult.

Below are the photos of Tagliapietra’s “workshop” and some altered pieces sold as "originals" to unsuspecting clients. 

Lastly, if anyone has any information about any corrupt member in the club or story you want to tell me about free to email me at: christmasrarities1@gmail.com.

John Lightner

  Scott Tagliapietra's "Workshop" photos

"yes, I carved the eyes out of that santa sold to bill (Steeley) and dresse(d) it in a child’s mohair coat.   The santa was sold to bill in nyc on one of our trips."

"You know Jimmy the Chocolatier in WI? Go in his shop and look for a rabbit automaton in a blue dress.  The Mother rabbit is feeding a baby rabbit a carrot.  I dresse(d)s that piece.  If I’m not mistaken she is standing on a red velvet box.  Anyone could pull back the sleeve to expose the hands (that) are attached with 5 minute epoxy.  Epoxy was not around at the turn of the century."

"I know often Bobby (Taylor) did repair items for scott as well as being commissioned to cast molds of needed parts.

"If you recall the super large santa with a bisque face?  The mask was original and bobby casted the body from Scott’s original and painted by bobby.  Scott’s was all original and the bisque face was purchased in German from claus and daniella. The repro with original mask was so(ld) to Dick and Christina Casey"

"i would dress 90% of these pieces.  We purchased children’s mohair coats and muffs.  scott would dye the taken apart coats and dye them in Rite dye once I sew the coat and made the hoods lining them in true fashion.  The pieces were the(n) aged and put in the sun to fade after being misted in bleach water."

"as well as the tricks he used many he (taught) thought me.  he could even patch a hole in a glass blown ornament and repaint."

"it was a doll automaton head and arms replaced with a rabbit head and rabbit paws and redressed."

"yes, I was living in Scott’s home, 4800 north lake drive. I was with him when we had the rubber stamp made to create the lines on all his rabbit eared items, usually riders on candy containers.  many times animals were found, I recovered them.  Scott created the armature epoxied a bisque head on.  I even carved wooden hands for certain items.  He also had an older gentleman from wisconsin- german make wooden hands till I learned.

"i could write a book"

"Kit Carter was the woman from wachovia bank, also a dealer who purchased fakes."

These photos were supplied to me by Joey Zinn. Joey Zinn was a romantic partner of Scott's for years and did most of the "repair" work done on Christmas items Scott sold. A lot of these items were sold as "original" but in fact were doctored or mixed and matched pieces.  

And don't forget Scott had a "made in Germany" stamp made up.  

This has been going on for decades under the noses of the Golden Glow Club board members who have done nothing to protect buyers.  Instead they blacklisted me for exposing Scott as well as other things.

They are all frauds and corrupt individuals. The irony is that some of the evil cabal who have protected Scott and other corrupt dealers have themselves been duped and sold fakes from him. 

People might want to ask Bobbi Taylor what work she did for Scott. Or better yet ask her if she made molds of Santa for him that he then doctored and then sold as antiques. Hmm

For 12 years I have asked each subsequent board of directors to investigate the fraudulent blacklisting of me and provide the evidence of that which I was accused. To date not a single reply from any Board member. The corruption and cover ups continue.

John Lightner

Email: goldenglowclub@gmail.com