If you’ve been watching TV or reading the newspaper about Heritage Auction Galleries’ monumental mistake — selling allegedly authentic Hollywood memorabilia from the Ann Sothern Collection — you might not know that the man at the center of the controversy is neighborhood resident Charles Heard. When he’s not searching out Hollywood collectibles, you can find Heard working as an investment counselor in the Lakewood branch of Wells Fargo Bank.
Anyway, Heard bought a whisky flask supposedly owned by actor Errol Flynn late last year, but after investigating the piece a bit, Heard started to think that maybe he had been sold a bill of goods. Heard alerted Heritage, which according to media accounts probably was a little slow to respond. Today though, under fire from Channel 8 and the Morning News, Heritage president Greg Rohan acknowledged that his company had been taken in by a Mississippi company that sold the items to Heritage.
A few years ago, we wrote a story about Heard and his massive collection of memorabilia, posters, etc. The next time you’re in the Wells Fargo Lakewood branch, look to your right as you enter the banking facility, and you’ll see both Heard’s office and a few collectible movie posters on his wall.
