WARNING! This article is pretty graphic and contains some items that may tend to upset people. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!

We all know about Tom Shutt -- he bilked people in the Midwest when he ran his King's Crown Gallery there and according to some estimates, when he ran off to California, he left owing some one and a half million dollars. Then he went to California where he opened King's Crown Gallery again where, according to some, he began an honest business -- for a time. Then, for whatever his reasons, he went back to bilking people out of their money and worse yet, he was flooding the market with thousands upon thousands of forged autographs of World War II veterans.

This came near to ruining the entire collecting industry for a while. He was caught and arrested on several occasions, was even sued in civil court by others. He always managed to duck the long arm of the law and skipped out on a debt of $60,000 he owed to BOB REINHARD (3766-1994) as well as debts to others.

We reported in KTB #152 that Shutt had died of a massive heart attack some months ago. He was in his early 50's.

We reported in KTB #153 last month, that Shutt's wife had made arrangements with the Neptune Society to bring the body back and cremate it - then she skipped out on the bill of more than $1,200. Now here's the part you don't want to read unless you are prepared for some level of shock. BOB REINHART was still furious at Shutt failing to pay the $60,000 he owed and now that he is dead, there was no chance at all of collecting the money -- so BOB made a deal with the Neptune Society and was going to pick up Shutt's ashes. BOB and his friends were going to celebrate by drinking some very fine whiskey, then in what BOB referred to as a `watering down' ceremony, they were going to share this whiskey with Shutt's ashes - after they filtered it through their kidneys first. After the `wetting dawn ceremony' was finished, it was BOB's intention to bury Shutt's ashes in a nearby park which is mainly used for people to walk their dogs -- and BOB plans to bury the ashes in a particularly busy spot where dogs...well, you know what the dogs will be doing there.

There are some who will believe that Tom Shutt, forger, swindler, cheat -- got his just rewards. Others may be shocked at this but remember, he swindled so many people out of not only their money but also their dreams. One would expect someone to be really angry. Thus ends (we think) the story of Tom Shutt.