I dunno.... Those are the kinds of things that familes often throw out. I have seen lots of stuff go in the dumpster that shouldn't since others might be interested... Glad you found them and were interested in buying and preserving them. I say finders keepers. But do what you want.......
Good news guys!!!!! I just got off the phone with the guy and he's gonna mail the personal stuff to me tomorrow! He's only 18 so Ed Roth is pretty new to him. I'm glad you stepped up and are doing the right thing! Darryl and his family will be pleased to get this,i'm sure. Thanks again!!! Now...enjoy the hell out of the HAMB and participate!!!
It's a great find,for sure! The other stuff might fetch some cash on e-bay! Selling personal items would have been a mistake. There are some e-mails from George,who just p***ed away last year. That would only mean something to the Roth boys and Sally. Nobody else. I'll let you guys know how this plays out,when I give the stuff to Darryl.
I go to church with a buddy.. JJ Roth. Yeah hes family. I forwarded this link to him. I dont know if hes a member on here but hes a car guy. He has a 442 that Big daddy gave him and his dad has an SS impala that was handed down from Ed. If you want family, I can give you his email address or phone number. Rob
I just contacted Bad Bob and I am going to send the personal stuff to him so he can get it to the family. I bought the stuff from a DI thrift store in salt lake city UT.
Yeah, I guess I would have noticed that if I read the entire thread. I was just excited to possibly help. haha Glad the HAMB exists for things like this. Rob
The ownership of Roth stuff is an interesting bag. Ever wonder about the copyright dates? There have been years of legal wrangling, and tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees expended. I spent a day one time reading the court proceedings and it just made my head hurt. The pain and wrangling over ownership continues to this day involving kids, ex wives , artists etc. The funny thing is that Ed was probably riding higjh for only a few years in his entire life. Most the time he was pretty hand to mouth. A fun, creative and genuine guy that left a wake of complicated ownership questions behind. Its a fascinating story that probably few know or understand.
Awesome how this all worked out, I got a little something in my eye when I saw the fathers day cards. probably shop dust.
Without the H.A.M.B. This may have not happened . For all involed, COGRATES. It was meant to be. Amazing how things turn up......! On the H.A.M.B....!!!
Just a question, so don't shoot me. But wasn't Roth pretty much a ***hole. I mean after I read his book I came away with that impression. For I example I remember reading he went in and destroyed all the prep work the night before his son was going to shoot the princess (I think it was), cause he didn't want him to have it? And I guess it's understandable why you would think the family would like some of this stuff, but I can't help but feel that a young kid that was excited about a cool find was just bullied into getting rid of it. I mean all the stuff I have about my Dad, articles, awards, card, etc. I have in a very safe place. Not in a filling cabinet that winds up at a flea market... just sayin'
Good on ya guys for getting the personal items where they belong. Very Kewl. I've talked to several artists that worked with Ed at some point in the past who we're given the OK by him to use 'Rat Fink' etc. but I think the intention was for one off stuff, not m***-produced items. I've also been told a lot of the Rat Fink stuff 'Mooneyes' sells was licensed to be sold in Japan (where Big Daddy also has a huge following) and not in the U.S.
I was thinking the same way... Which family member should this stuff go to given the family situation? If I were the owner I'd do a bit more due diligence before sending it off. Where did it come from? Which family member owned the file cabinet? I'd be extra careful. This isn't as easy as "just give it back to the family" Which family should that be? If it was found in Salt Lake City, It may belong to the Roth family in Manti.
Despite what Roth may have been, i'm sure his family remembers him completely differently than what the rest of the world saw. I don't know a whole lot about him, but he had a persona in the public eye but i highly doubt in terms of his grandkids he was the same. I think all everyone was doing, which was said, is to first see if the members of the Roth family would like any of the personal items back. Bad Bob even said that he isn't going to send everything he found just certain items.
There was NO bullying here! I heard about the stuff from someone and ask him to give youngster my number. Then the thread showed up on here. So I sent him a PM with my number and asked him to call me. He did...we talked...he said he would send the stuff to me. If he would have said "NO",I would have dropped it. I only asked for the "personal" items,NOT everything. The other things might be worth something. It's not like he found some of Eds artwork or drawings! That would have been different. I would have wished I found it too. For the record...Ed was not an ***hole! He had his moods like everybody else. He liked kids and would take a minute and talk to them. On the other hand...he wasn't a big fan of Ratfink worshipers. Like most artists,he was all about the craft and the creating. He would sign anything I ever asked him to,but didn't like the guys who would try to get his signature for profit.
What he told me was,most of the stuff was sent by Darryls kids to Ed,and some e-mails from George,his son that just p***ed away. That would be more important to Georges mom,Sally,than the family in Utah.
Has there ever been a celebrity that p***ed away that the m***es have not tryed to destroy their image? God, I think we are all just human, we have all made mistakes. RIP BIG DADDY, I still admire greatly everything you ever created. I am glad I got to meet you a couple of times. He was always very friendly and down to earth when I talked to him, unlike some other custom car creators I have met before and wont mention.
Unfortunately families are usually somewhat imperfect! When Ed was still in High School, he practically lived at my Grandparents house. He was 'best friends' with my uncle, Jerry Vernia. My Mom knew him well because he was always at their house, her name is Carolyn and there are several other siblings from that family. My Dad also knew Ed and took a drafting cl*** with him when they were in School together. To hear them tell it, Ed's family was always judgemental with him, comparing him to his older brother. Ed was made to feel 'less than'. Nothing quite like having Parents that have their favorite and aren't shy about it! I'm sure there are many fellow HAMB'rs that have similar stories. Parents aren't perfect, they make mistakes. I know I have as a parent. I hope these small personal items help to bring this family some peace and closure about Ed and his place in their lives. Dan Stevens dba, Steelsmith
Glad I asked the question. I only believe about half of what I read, and it's always better to get the story from someone who was there.
I told the kid to post this here so Bob could get in touch with him. I knew about this, and people on another site that I won't mention were telling him to sell it,and I as well as a few others(Very few) told him to let the family know first,and I knew the story about BadBob's history with the Roth family,so I PM's BadBob and let him know about this,then p***ed the info to Youngster,and now Youngster is here. Hopefully he sends the personal family oriented stuff to Bob.
Bob,correct me if I'm wrong,but the impression I got of Ed was that he treated people the way they should be treated. You ********ted him,and you got treated like a ********ter,you treated him with respect,he treated you the same way? That's the impression I got of him. I have the same at***ude and people call me an ***hole all the time,so I see where Ed was coming from with the way he was. As I see it,it's the "I'm me,if you don't like me for who I am,then don't waste my time" mentality,which is good. it weeds out the fake people.
How do know that his didn't donate it when they were cleaning out his estate? I say he keep it. At least it's hands that care about it for sure.