Saturday, August 21, 2010

Harvey Withers sought by US Police


Is this the British sword "expert" and suspected reproduction edged weapon salesman Harvey Withers, wanted by the Florida Saint Cloud Police Department (see police wanted poster here)? The mug shot certainly bears a passing resemblance to Harvey Wither's own published photo (unfortunately copyrighted) but can be seen here (on his antique swords online dot con site), and there is concrete evidence Harvey has changed his appearance recently and now dyes his hair black. Editor's Notes: On the back of British Military Swords Book, Harvey looks well, sorry Mr. Withers, but like an aging, balding, alcohol induced red faced pumpkin! Now HW on his new Antique Swords Online site looks a much younger pumpkin with more hair and foundation cream!

Is Harvey Withers on the run from all those dodgy / repro swords it is alleged by more than 1 person he has sold around the world? Harvey's latest victim is in New Zealand. Dodgy swords, dodgy hair colouring, dodgy doggy Withers? See my previous blogs / advisories about Harvey here: Anglian Swords eBay Fraud and Harvey J S Withers - PLENTY of evidence against HW.

Harvey, please contact the Saint Cloud Police Department and give yourself up, or change your appearance again double pronto. In fact, change your appearance anyway as pumpkins have feelings too. Please also stop selling dodgy, weird and repro swords.

Disclaimer
Inmate 442700 is Harvey Withers, but it may not be British sword salesman Harvey Withers of 128 Penns Lane, Sutton Coldfield, B72 1BP, tel 0121 384 6174. In which case we would like to offer our sincerest apologies to Inmate 442700.

Update
The well established and widely respected New Zealander Harvey Withers tooled has published what happened on eBay!!!! Unfortunately eBay will likely remove this poor kiwi's (phillip_in_new_zealand's) public warning but I have taken the liberty of preserving it below :-)

Here is the text of Phillip in New Zealand's warning;

This listing is for PHOTOGRAPHS of a sword that I purchased from and promptly RETURNED (in disgust) TO the seller Harvey JS Withers also known as "Anglian Swords" and who trades under "Jupiter Enterprises"

This listing is for IMAGES of the horrendous DAMAGE that this sword had received WITHOUT being so-described by the CHARLATAN who sold it to me

That person has the EFFRONTERY to state on his home page the following..........

"I have endeavoured to provide clear and accurate photographs of all the items for sale and pride myself in answering customer queries quickly and honestly.

" I have been a dealer in antique edged weapons for many years and understand the importance of establishing longstanding relationships with my customers."

In my personal experience ? NOTHING could be FURTHER from the truth !!

Here is where the first lie is exposed.......

Hi Harvey, that's a nice looking sword, but what is that line I can see across the blade, it's not a crack is it ? I see the sword is also a Wilkinson make, so does it have a serial number ?

Response "No the line is just the light reflecting off the blade, there is no damage and the only serial # is a 13 which will be a military contract number"

..........SO SAID "Mr." Harvey Withers of "Anglian Swords"

BECAUSE I had been dealing with "Mr." withers for approx 5 years, and had bought MANY swords from him, as well as several of his coffee-table self-advertsing books, I BELIEVED him = A BIG MISTAKE !!!

FOOLISHLY I accepted his PROFESSIONAL OPINION that "there was NO DAMAGE", and that "There was NO serial number"

So I immediately PAID FOR the sword that you see the PHOTOGRAPHS OF

TRY to imagine my HORROR when after paying to COURIER this sword around 1/2 the PLANET and anxiously opening my new acquisition ??

Only to examine it to find FIRST a disgusting layer of CHROME PLATING................... that "Mr." Withers had entirely FORGOTTEN to mention.

The REASON this sword had been chrome plated ????

Was an amateurish ATTEMPT to HIDE the fact that it's BLADE had been completely SNAPPED IN TWO !

Can a sword collector imagine any type of "damage" that could be WORSE than being broken in two ??

I cannot !! ......How about YOU Harvey Withers ?? .......my faith in your judgment sure has WITHERED :-(

Then to my great surprise when examining the ricasso of the sword I noted that there WAS a serial number,

How STRANGE that after all the swords that "Mr." Withers has handled, purchased, pictured, & sold and given the fact that Wilkinson do serial number their fine products

Harvey the self-proclaimed sword EXPERT claimed he had entirely MISSED the serial number !! (Yeah RIGHT Harvey !)

So I wondered just HOW and WHY would he have "overlooked" this specifically requested detail ???

The REASON became CLEAR when I checked what sword the serial number belonged to.......IT WAS NOT the number of any Scottish Broadsword blade that Wilkinson had made.

The serial number 71239 **Sword no. 71239 was recorded as a cavalry sword made in 1953 and sold in the trade. ** and certainly DID NOT belong on a FATALLY FLAWED Scottish Sergeant's Sword

Being entirely DISGUSTED at the GROSSLY INACCURATE description provided by "Mr." Harvey Withers

I was absolutely HORRIFIED by what I had been induced to ship at great cost half way around the planet.

I truly expected that I was DUE an APOLOGY from this self-professed EXPERT

Harvey claimed that "He was only human and sometimes he made mistakes" !!!!

Well this fell a little short of the APOLOGY that I feel he OWES ME whether I was ONLY as a "first time VICTIM" or as a long-time loyal & multi-repeat customer that I once was

I specifically inquired just HOW MUCH were **HIS MISTAKES** likely to COST ME ?

Harvey offered to refund my purchase price ONLY despite being ADVISED that UK Distance-selling laws REQUIRED him to also refund my postage expenses

(Five WEEKS LATER he still HAS NOT REFUNDED my payment !!) AND he expected ME to cover the expense of shipping his grossly misdescribed sword back to him and for ME to cover all shipping costs both ways

TO DATE = many weeks after the sword was returned (and was SIGNED FOR by MS Withers) I have YET to receive a penny in refund

I strongly feel that Harvey Withers was DECEITFUL in his initial description, and was subsequently DISHONEST in his 2nd (personally requested) description-report,

AND that his subsequent conduct was HIGHLY UNETHICAL, UNPROFESSIONAL, and totally UNACCEPTABLE

I would be most interested TO HEAR FROM any other agreived E-bay members to learn if I am alone in my VERY UNHAPPY experience with this sword-dealing CHARLATAN

IF ONLY I had Googled "Harvey Withers" OR "Anglian Swords" BEFORE ??? Then I might have had some WARNING of the very dodgy character of this sleazy snake-oil salesman

SHOULD you choose to DO SO ? You will soon learn that I have NOT been ALONE in being UTTERLY RIPPED-OFF by this conscienceless individual

I was truly astounded that a man who makes such a *song and dance* about his own "expertise", and who has published SO MANY coffee table books ??

Could POSSIBLY have MISSED these EXACT FLAWS ?? That I had SPECIFICALLY INQUIRED about ??

And that was only minutes before making my ill-fated purchase from Harvey Withers the self-alleged "Sword Expert"

I immediately contacted "Mr." Withers and advised him that the sword was entirely unsatisfactory, that the blade had been snapped in two and that it DID HAVE a serial number

........Harvey Withers continued to INSIST the serial number was not there ??

Well HERE IT IS AGAIN Harvey......... to refresh your somewhat SELECTIVE memory :-(