In an effort to normalize relations between Error World and CONECA, the following letter was sent to Mike Ellis by our Founder:
 

Hi Mike,

I tried to get you on the IM but you must have been out of the area at the time. I hope your not avoiding us at EW! I miss your commentary there. The problem you had avoided is long since blown over, and your input is now and always has been most welcome. The reason I'm writing now is because of a email I sent 5 months ago through your CONECA website. It was telling you folks about EW and requesting that our link be added to your links page. We have had your link up for 5 months and as yet, I have received no reply. 

I'd hate to say this, but it has caused some hard feelings, especially when "mkbozovich" joined and started selling memberships on the message board (against Yahoo rules). I personally have no hard feelings with CONECA and think my email was overlooked or forgotten. Would you please look into this for me and see about getting our link added in to return our link for CONECA. Link exchange is just common courtesy, and it happens regularly all over the internet. I've tried to be nice by keeping your link up and active. I  would appreciate your looking into this and possibly even adding Chucks website to your links section, after all, we're in the same field, and a link to our clubs and web sites will be a big benefit to your members too.

I hope to see you back at the club soon! If you can get some action, and get our link up, post a message about adding it. No need to say I emailed you about it. Thanks Mike.

Sincerely,

Jim A.(Laz)
 

--- Mike Ellis <coneca@surfsouth.com> wrote:
From: "Mike Ellis" <coneca@surfsouth.com>
To: "James Archibald" <lazarusone@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: website link
Date: Sun, 4 Feb 2001 14:28:48 -0800

Mr. Archibald,

Before I begin, I want to make it perfectly clear this is not designed to be an attack on you, merely an explanation of why CONECA has not linked your website.

I intended to answer your first email rather quickly.  However, I wanted to check out the group first.  CONECA is a not for profit organization intended to help the hobbyist have fun.  All hobbies are supposed to be fun.  While President, I worked very hard to not have anything negative thrown at the membership.  Indeed, you can go through the past 6 years of Errorscope and you will not find one negative statement toward another human being.  Nor will you find it on CONECA's website.  Though I intended to answer your email quickly, I opted to not answer it at all because it was immediately obvious that Error World is frequented by a few individuals who are unruly hypocrites, shameless self promoters and down right liars!  And yes, your post, and I am quoting you here, "Full of  opinions, the illustrious "mkbozovich" after touting the glories of his pet club has packed his bigtop and will clown around no more. Hmmm. Some sense of humor for a clown.~Laz" [see note #1] was one of the first and most offensive things I saw there.  Mike Bozovich is one of the finest individuals I have ever had the pleasure of meeting and would bend over backwards to help anybody in need.  There are  numerous lies posted there from Mike Byers regarding me and CONECA.  I see the site as nothing more than a sales aid for Mike Byers, and, when you let them, a few others.  As you like to point out but refuse to do anything about, "Against the Yahoo Rules."

I fail to see any wisdom in any of your statements. How do you figure that everything from five months ago has blown over when the same crap keeps occurring?  Innocent bystanders continue to be blown off the site and bad information flourishes there. [see note #2]

Yes, link exchange is a common courtesy on the net - when it is beneficial in some way.  Linking Error World from the CONECA  site would not benefit the membership of CONECA.  It would only expose them to tasteless (and largely illiterate) rhetoric that most members of CONECA have no room for in their lives.  It would be contradictory to what CONECA is all about.

As for your request to link Error World from the CONECA site.  I am no longer President so it is no longer my authority to do so.  However, if I were you, I wouldn't push it with the current board either.  Most of them were recruited by me as solid, hobby dedicated  individuals who have similar views to mine (see note #3).  I know for a fact the majority of them will not and do not tolerate Error World.

You recently made a post welcoming me back to Error World.  My post was not on Error World nor do I intend to post there.  It was on Chuck's site.  I like what Chuck has done and to date, nobody has been slandered, picked on, treated with ill respect or in any other way robbed of their dignity.  And, so far, not too many self serving promotions have been posted yet.  I will continue to post there as long as things remain as they are.  You could take some lessons from Chuck!

If you have been led astray by the unruly few, I suggest you sit back and reassess the situation and get rid of the trouble makers on your site, which, unfortunately, is all but a small handful!  Those who are not trouble that continue to post there are doing their best to  not let the site get to them either.  And yes, I have heard grumblings of displeasure from them as well.  The attrition rate of posters is astounding on your site!  So what if people are still signed up, they just haven't bothered to unjoin!  Should you get rid of the bad blood there (which I know you will not as you have separate rules for them) then CONECA may again consider your request.

Bottom line, clean up the act and maybe you will get the kind of respect you are so eagerly seeking!

Respectfully,
Mike Ellis

Comments in blue are those of our Founder Lazarusone

note #1: 
For those too new to Error World to know, Mr. Bozovich joined Error World for the purpose of soliciting members for his "free" organization called CONECA. Mr. Bozovich was asked to cease soliciting memberships (at $15 a pop for a "free" club) by Laz as Laz commented that he felt this was not in good taste. Mr. Bozovich refused and became quite belligerent. Mr. Bozovich was then asked to leave the club if he could not conform to the rules.

note #2
As of this date, Mike Ellis is STILL a member of Error World

note #3
Fascinating, I was under the impression that officers were voted in, and not hand picked to follow Mike Ellis's directions.

I am real glad that Mr. Ellis' reply is not to be taken as "personal"

The "trouble makers" in Error World to whom Mr. Ellis reefers to are of course, the three CONECA members who spoke out against Mike Ellis for his foolish comments in the CONECA article regarding reporting major mint errors to the FBI. (They are Rich Schemmer, Mike Byers, and Fred Weinberg.) 

I feel this man (Mike Ellis) has a serious problem. If the "troublemakers" that he has in CONECA are anything like the ones he points his finger at here, I'll gladly accept them into EW with open arms anytime. If they all pulled out of CONECA simultaneously, he wouldn't have much left.

It is obvious to me that the golden age of CONECA has past and that, in its decline, it has developed its own agenda.Too bad.

They will not, however, get another chance to use EW for their own purposes. The CONECA link has been removed from our Links section.

Glody2 shares: I was a member of CONECA for almost a year. There were a couple of reasons I quit the club. I wrote a letter to the then new Vice President and requested they list more of a variety of mint errors instead of RPM and Double Die errors. Their semi-monthly catalog listed 85-90% RPM's and Double Dies in the auctions. Also, I suggested they annually honor individuals that have made an impact on the error coin hobby. Individuals such as Fred Weinberg, Arnie Margolis, J.T. Stanton, John Wexler, Mike Byers, etc. I never got one response to my letter. Without going into detail, I have heard several complaints from a few other collectors about the club. In my mind, they have a "select" few members they cater to. I feel all members should be treated equally. I felt I was "shunned" until my membership renewal came due. There was even one time I did not receive the semi-monthly catalog. I agree, EW does NOT need CONECA. The individuals I mentioned earlier, have devoted their life to the error coin hobby. I especially highly respect Fred Weinberg and Arnold Margolis. CONECA has not given them the respect they deserve. For all you new error coin collectors, if you need answers, contact these two amazing and devoted individuals. They know what they are talking about. Enough said.

DMG1969 opines: I found Mr. Ellis' comment that all but a small handful of us are troublemakers to be utterly offensive. Not meaning to be a troublemaker myself...I would suggest that he pull whatever is up his *ss out and lighten up!

Brad Meadows nickelmaniac62 shares: It is a shame that 2 potentially GREAT organizations have perhaps allowed personal issues to obscure what should be a shared goal, educating collectors and promoting fellowship among those of us that love error/variety coins!

This is a part of an email Rich Schemmer sent to Mike Ellis. Many sections equally interesting were edited due to the fact that they concern CONECA politics and I do not feel that they are important to this issue in Error World. I wonder how a man like Mike Ellis gained the position of President of CONECA. Furthermore,why does the board and membership put up with this?~Laz

Hello Mike                                           2/07/01

As far as my letter in Error World,  condemning your statement in the Errorscope about:  "I would like to ask you all to exercise extreme caution when purchasing these more modern & exotic striking & planchet errors. Many of them are & will be considered government property & as such confiscatable. Be advised that if you buy these, you may lose them without compensation."

Fred Weinbergs Full page ad was only 1 page in front of that statement, with plenty of photo's of exotic striking errors. Do you think that statement helped  him in sales?  Or Any of your advertisers in the Errorscope? I think NOT..  As you stated in your most recent letter to me that only " a handful of the LESS Literate individuals in the hobby took my opinion in a Damaging light". I guess that would include Fred Weinberg, Mike Byers, Myself and others!  (DUH!!)

In a letter you've written today to Error World, [The letter printed in its entirety above - Ed.] you compared Error Worlds membership & link this way: "Linking Error World from the CONECA site would not benefit the membership of CONECA. It would only  EXPOSE THEM TO TASTELESS (AND LARGELY ILLITERATE) RHETORIC  that most members of CONECA have NO room for in their lives." What a statement:!!!  You mean of the "529" members in Error World, CONECA  has No need for that additional membership?? Because they are ALL Largely "ILLITERATE"..   BOY!! CONECA is in a sad state of affairs with a statement like that..

The Error hobby has NEVER seen a Bull market, NO let me say a STAMPEDE of new people interested in Errors as it is today. SO where is the swelling ranks of CONECA??  Why aren't they joining ?  Why must they go to Error World and other places to satisfy there Error hobby needs?

As you know I've been a member of CONECA since the very beginning and plan to remain a member. As I believe in the basic  concept of CONECA and its need within the Error hobby.  But I also believe that by accident or otherwise it has become a good o'l boys club, when I continue to read the letter you sent today to Error World.  Where you state, "As for your request to link Error World from the CONECA site. I am no longer President so it is  no longer my authority to do so. HOWEVER! if I were  you, I wouldn't push it with the current Board either. MOST OF THEM WERE RECRUITED BY ME AS SOLID, HOBBY DEDICATED INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE SIMILAR VIEWS AS MINE. I know a fact the majority of them will NOT & do NOT tolerate Error World".  NOW! if you don't sound like a dictator!!!  Why not let the Membership decide?? OH Yeah!! There's that word again "Membership" they only pay the "DUES"..  But who reaps the Benefits???

Oh yes.. One last thing, in your latest letter to me. You state as you've been doing everything for Free & promoting CONECA. I've been a dismal failure  lately.  I guess you must be following me around, to  know what I've been doing!  Where you aware that I was a consultant and witness with the Treasury Department & the Mint Police against Mr. D'angelo and spent a great deal of time at the Mint and apparently very active in CONECA's politics as I'm still writing these letters.  How about we just stop bickering and release ALL this information to the Membership, Unless of course you also consider them to be also largely Illiterate, as you stated a number of times.

               Rich