Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Social Entrepreneur Redefines ‘CLASSY’ Through Philanthropy and Action


Growing up, Scot Chisholm wouldn’t have considered himself the stereotypical CEO of a philanthropy company; however, his mom getting cancer put him on a different path – one that would ultimately define who he would become personally and professionally.

Fresh out of college in 2005, Chisholm took his Engineering degree from UMass Amherst and moved to San Diego for a fresh start.  After a short stint working at a local pizzeria, he went on to work as a senior consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton specializing in operations and Lean Six Sigma.  Despite his early successes, his compassion for his mother’s illness coupled with his eagerness to build his own empire would inevitably catapult him in another direction.

Still a newcomer to the west coast in 2006, Chisholm and his friends organized a social gathering to raise money for the American Cancer Society with the hope of meeting some new people while supporting a cause close to their hearts.  Their initial “StayClassy Pubcrawl,” named after the popular Will Ferrell movie, Anchorman, attracted 200 young people and raised $4,000 for cancer research. One charity event turned into dozens.  By the beginning of 2008, Chisholm and his friends had raised more than $100,000 for local San Diego nonprofits, an accomplishment to be proud of, yet still not a viable business model.

LIGHT-BULB MOMENT
While organizing charitable events as a vehicle for young people to get involved was rewarding, it was working alongside nonprofit organizations that gave Chisholm real insight (almost accidentally) into the different shortcomings of the philanthropic fundraising industry.

“For decades, nonprofits have been forced to select from a limited and expensive set of software options to help manage their organization,” said Chisholm.  “The nonprofit industry was demanding better solutions, and we felt compelled to help them.”

StayClassy morphed into a web-based software platform and became the missing puzzle piece: a one-stop-shop fundraising suite that helped any type of nonprofit manage and grow their organization by leveraging the power of social media to expand their reach.

“From it’s inception, the goal of our product has been to make the act of donating social - a part of the running Internet conversation about causes that people want to share with their friends and family,” explains Chisholm. “Many organizations register with StayClassy as the first step in building relationships with younger donors who are attracted to this level of social interaction.”

StayClassy clients are able to accept online donations in seconds, manage donors, publish fundraising events, sell tickets, and market themselves online. With no setup fee, small and medium sized nonprofits on a tight budget are able to benefit from StayClassy’s services as well.

“Most nonprofits simply can’t afford the products that are currently in the marketplace,” said Chisholm. “We’ve completely rethought the norm, and built an extremely affordable, yet powerful set of tools from the ground up to transform the way fundraising organizations achieve their mission.”

GAINING MOMENTUM
By the end of 2009, Chisholm was named as one of "San Diego's Top 40 Leaders Under 40" by San Diego Metropolitan Magazine and StayClassy was selected by MIT’s Sloan School as one of the top three startup companies in the U.S at their 12th Annual Venture Capital Conference.

Chisholm & StayClassy launched their new platform at TechCrunch Disrupt in May 2010.  Since then, more than 1,400 organizations have registered on their site, attracting 130,000 individuals, donors and supporters, and garnering hundreds of thousands of visitors each month.

Major news outlets like Mashable, the online guide to social media, featured StayClassy in their July “Spark of Genius” series as one of their unique feature startups and then again in September as one of the “Top 10 Ways to Start a Fund for Social Good Online”. Other respected news mediums such as CNN, AOL News, The Huffington Post, and TechCrunch have quoted Chisholm with regard to StayClassy and social entrepreneurism.

In October 2010, StayClassy completed a $1.25 million financing round led by 15 angel investors and is using the funds to accelerate their customer acquisition, expand customer service, and further develop its innovative technologies. The company is also taking steps to add more discovery features to it’s consumer facing website by matching individuals with organizations they may want to support.

The company expects to process more than $20 million in donations from thousands of new customers in 2011.

FULL CIRCLE
Although his mother’s bout with cancer was a horrible ordeal for Chisholm and his family, one of the many, but perhaps the most important, lessons she taught him was how to stare adversity in the face, and prevail.

The traits demonstrated by his mother have not only come to define Chisholm as a person, but have cultivated the friendships he has formed along the way, and the company he took part in founding. Five years later, as a result of that initial inspiration, Chisholm and StayClassy are helping nonprofits across the globe raise millions of dollars for a myriad of causes, including cancer research - all under the same company name, StayClassy.

“When it all boils down, the concept of paying one forward, to me, is what ‘staying classy’ is all about,” said Chisholm.  “Is it a strange name for a company like ours? Could be. But then again, nothing we are doing is ordinary.”


About StayClassy
StayClassy (http://www.stayclassy.org) is the easiest and most affordable way for organizations to raise funds and manage donor relationships online.  Based in San Diego, CA, the company develops easy-to-use web-based fundraising software for nonprofit organizations. StayClassy launched its new platform in May 2010, and has over 1,400 customers and over 130,000 individual subscribers using its services. It’s free to sign up, making it extremely attractive to small and medium sized organizations on a tight budget. StayClassy is also the host of the Annual CLASSY Awards, a national award show that recognizes outstanding philanthropic achievements throughout the world (http://www.stayclassy.org/classy-awards)

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Economic Policy and the Economic Crisis is Topic of Feb. 15 John W. Pope Lecture


Economist Michael Boskin will present the annual Pope Lecture at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, N.C., on Tuesday, Feb. 15. The lecture will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the NC State Poole College of Management's Nelson Auditorium, 3400 Nelson Hall.

The title of Boskin's lecture is "Economic Policy and the Economic Crisis: Successes, Failures, Unfinished Agenda." A reception will follow immediately after the lecture, in the Nelson Hall Commons, on the second floor.

In addition to his public lecture, Boskin will meet give informal presentations to faculty at 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Nelson Hall boardroom, and to student members of the Society of Politics, Economics and Law (SPEL) at NC State in 1140 Nelson Hall.

The lecture is open to faculty, staff and students at NC State University, and the general public. There is no charge to attend and reservations are not required.

The John W. Pope Lecture Series is hosted by North Carolina State University's College of Humanities and Social Sciences and Poole College of Management to encourage dialogue on topics of political and economic interest. The lecture series is supported by a grant from the John W. Pope Foundation.

About the speaker

Boskin is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and the T. M. Friedman Professor of Economics at Stanford University. He served as chairman of the President's Council of Economic Advisers from 1989 to 1993.  He also chaired the blue-ribbon Commission on the Consumer Price Index, whose report transformed the way governments around the world measure inflation, GDP, and productivity.

The author of more than one hundred books and articles, Boskin is internationally recognized for his research on economic growth, tax policy, and U.S. saving and consumption patterns. His op-eds appear regularly in the Wall Street Journal and other leading newspapers. Boskin was early to raise concerns about state and federal debts and unfunded obligations, and continues to address these problems in his current work.

For additional information, view http://www.mgt.ncsu.edu/index-exp.php/events/entry/john-w.-pope-lecture-series-presents-economist-michael-boskin/

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Utilities Industry CIOs and IT Execs Invited to Speak at Upcoming Technology Event


The CIO Utilities Summit team announced today that CIOs and senior IT executives are invited to speak at the upcoming event, June 12-14, 2011 at the InterContinental Montelucia Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The CIO Utilities Summit is an opportunity for attending executives to network with their peers, attend in-depth educational sessions, and have candid conversations around current technology topics and trends affecting the utilities industry. Educational sessions at the event include keynote speeches, roundtable and panel discussions, and CIO Think Tanks.

Technology topics to be addressed at the event include optimizing and leveraging the smart grid, adopting cloud computing technology, addressing cyber security issues, and predicative analytics in asset management. Speaking and moderating opportunities at the CIO Utilities Summit allow attending executives to present research, share best practices and discuss recent IT projects in a relaxed, yet focused business setting.

“The CIO Utilities Summit is a great way for IT executives to establish themselves, their teams and their companies as technology thought leaders among a group of their peers. One of the goals of the event is to have executives leave with new ideas and solutions, and delegate speakers, as the IT end-users, are one way we make sure this happens,” said Ross Abbott, Event Director, CIO Utilities Summit.

If you are interested in speaking at the event, fill out the call for speakers form at http://www.cioutilitiessummit.com/callforspeakers/. For more information about the event and to view the full agenda, visit www.cioutilitiessummit.com.

If you would like to speak to someone directly about participating in the event, contact Ross Abbott, Event Director, CIO Utilities Summit, at ross.abbott@cdmmedia.com or 808-694-3661.

About CIO Utilities Summit

CDM Media brings together CIOs and technology executives from North America’s Fortune 1000 organizations to develop business ideas and build lasting relationships with peers and colleagues. The CIO Utilities Summit, to be held June 12-14, 2011 in Scottsdale, Arizona, allows IT executives to discuss the latest business technology issues and learn about current technology solutions. For more information, please visit http://www.cioutilitiessummit.com

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Microsoft and FMT Consultants, LLC Team Up For Dynamics CRM 2011 San Diego Launch Event


FMT Consultants, LLC is pleased to announce that it is teaming up with Microsoft to host a live, in-person Launch Event for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 at the Microsoft San Diego offices in La Jolla (UTC) on Wednesday, March 16, 2011.

“As a Microsoft Dynamics CRM partner since its initial release, back in 2003, we are excited to see Microsoft continue to make such strong strides in the CRM marketplace,” says Kevin De Pree, Executive Vice President for FMT Consultants. “This release clearly puts them ahead of the competition in both the quality of the product as well as the anticipated return on investment, especially at this low price point.”

With this latest release, Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 has positioned itself as the market leader in Customer Relationship Management software. Dynamics CRM 2011 delivers a familiar user experience, intuitive business intelligence and an unprecedented ease of communications between systems.

Sales Force Automation

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 allows salespeople to optimize their sales efforts by utilizing the familiar Microsoft Outlook and Office tools that they already use. Embedded Microsoft Office capabilities allow for better lead and opportunity management, real-time insight into pipeline and analytics, and a mobile interface for those salespeople on the go.

Customer Service

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 is a robust and flexible service solution that allows employees to interface with customers using familiar Microsoft Office functionality. Customer service professionals will experience improved Case and Contract Management, better resolution time with a built in knowledge base and insightful, actionable analytics.

Marketing

With Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011, every touch point becomes a marketing opportunity. With this latest release you can easily segment your contacts into different marketing lists, send emails directly from CRM and track responses. Now you can easily measure your marketing success and have real-time analytics around numerous campaign indicators.

xRM

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 becomes a truly “Extended CRM” package with customizable entities. You are no longer restricted to a “Customer” Relationship Management software package and can truly experience the full capabilities of xRM. With either prebuilt add-on functionality or a fully customized solution, Microsoft Dynamics CRM is tailored to be YOUR system. Stop working for your software and start having your software work for you.

According to Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer, “Sales professionals are at the heart of almost every successful business. Microsoft Dynamics CRM redefines productivity by offering an industry-leading product that is fully embracing the cloud. The things that make Microsoft Dynamics CRM an industry leader include giving sales professionals a familiar user experience, enabling greater collaboration, streamlining of processes and access to real-time data so they can improve their customers’ experiences and effectively compete in the market.”

For a limited time you can sign up for Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online for only $34 per user per month for the first year! As an added incentive, current Salesforce.com and Oracle users can receive $200 cash for each user transitioned over to Dynamics CRM Online!

Both promotions expire June 30, 2011.

Come join Microsoft and FMT Consultants at our joint launch event to:

•   See live product demonstrations.
•   Learn the difference between online and on-premise versions.
•   Understand the ease of integration between Dynamics CRM and various accounting and ERP packages, including Microsoft Dynamics GP.
•   Find out what the upgrade/migration/installation processes look like.
•   Hear real-life testimonials from actual FMT customers.
•   Have the chance to speak to Certified CRM and business solutions consultants and ask them the tough questions.
•   Get signed up today!


Date: Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Time: 9-11am
Location: Microsoft Office, San Diego
Registration Page: http://www.fmtconsultants.com/CRM2011LiveLaunch


About FMT Consultants

FMT Consultants, LLC is Microsoft’s leading Southern California provider of integrated business solutions and information technology services. Since 1995, its experienced team of consultants has leveraged the Microsoft technology platform, including Microsoft Dynamics GP, Dynamics CRM, SharePoint, Exchange, Office and Microsoft SQL, to provide companies with innovative solutions to their most challenging issues.

As an award winning Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, FMT works with companies to architect and deliver high-quality, affordable technology solutions that help them run their businesses better. FMT’s expertise includes analyzing, designing, implementing, developing and integrating multiple software and hardware systems, as necessary, to optimize clientele’s business processes and achieve their goals. In addition to doing project-based work, FMT provides support services for numerous clients in a variety of industries in order to assist them with their ongoing, day-to-day solution needs.

FMT serves its clients nationwide with a regional focus on Southern California including San Diego, Los Angeles, Riverside and Orange Counties.

About Microsoft Dynamics

Microsoft Dynamics is a line of financial, customer relationship and supply chain management solutions that help businesses work more effectively. Delivered through a network of channel partners providing specialized services, these integrated, adaptable business management solutions work like and with familiar Microsoft software to streamline processes across an entire business.



For more information:
Mathew Holden
FMT Consultants, LLC
760.930.6400
mholden@FMTConsultants.com
FMT Consultants, LLC:
http://www.fmtconsultants.com

Monday, February 7, 2011

Extreme Marketing Solution:New Blogging eCourse Reveals How Anyone Can Make a Blog in 7 Proven Steps


MonetizationMagic.com has officially put the marketing industry on notice: Marketing to your key prospects while you’re servicing your current customers is now faster, easier and more affordable than ever before.

As Joan Pounds added, “Our new 7-Day eCourse has gone the internet marketing industry one better. Where most companies in this market spend thousands on advertising with little return our FREE 7-Day eCourse provides a proven platform upon which to build 10 or more streams of income.”

MonetizationMagic.com has identified several key steps most important to cost-effective internet marketing when it comes to advertising your product or service:

•   Accurately defining if your niche or passion is profitable
•   Utilizing automated marketing systems creating satisfied customers
•   Identifying prospective products to introduce to your product line

These marketing steps are just part of an entire blog focused marketing training solution.  

The complete step-by-step solution is fully documented in a new special eCourse, 7-Day Blogging eCourse.  The eCourse is available for immediate registration at www.MonetizationMagic.com/classes and to help as many people as possible, this valuable eCourse is available now for free.

For media inquiries, to arrange for an interview or an expert quote, please contact Joan Pounds at (719)201-9849.

www.MonetizationMagic.com

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Integrity Defenders, Inc. Rolls Out New Online Privacy Service to Protect Your Personal Information


Integrity Defenders, Inc., an online reputation and privacy management firm, has today announced the company's new PrivacyID service geared towards removing personal information from online people search databases.

People search databases offer personal information such as your name, phone number, address, salary, and other details about your personal life. Integrity Defenders' new service will search the web for this information and remove it from online databases. "Identity thieves have begun utilizing these databases to gain access to victims online accounts," warns Michael D'Alessio of Integrity Defenders.

Members can sign up for Integrity Defenders' monthly PrivacyID service for $12.99 per month. The PrivacyID service continuously monitors people search databases such as MyLife, Whitepages, U.S., Search, and many other online databases for your personal information and removes it for as long as you are subscribed.

For more information on Integrity Defenders new PrivacyID service please visit http://www.integritydefender.com/privacy-id-services.php

About Integrity Defenders, Inc.:

As a leader in Personal Online Reputation Management, Integrity Defenders creates, manages, and promotes positive search engine results for their customers. Their innovative approach to online reputation management delivers unparalleled results within the ORM industry. Integrity Defenders is a privately held company, located in Andover, New Jersey.

Friday, February 4, 2011

Sportsmanship program a huge success for 2010 High School Football season

Sports Quest Awards & Engraving is proud to sponsor the Sportsmanship Award Program to  Division 4A High School Football in Las Vegas, Nevada. Designed to promote good sportsmanship, the nominees had to meet character requirements on & off the field for their school. The winners were chosen from all the nominees submitted by their coaches for their respective divisions. There were 2 awards given out, one for the Sunrise Division and one for the Sunset Division. The awards were given out at the year end banquets on January 17&18, 2011. In it's inaugural year, The Sportsmanship Program was a huge success, and we look forward to continuing it for the 2011-2012 season.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Author and Business Coach Bill Banner Hits Amazon Best-Seller List With Book, “Counter-Attack”


World-Class business coach, Bill Banner, recently joined a select group of America’s leading entrepreneurs and businesspeople to collaborate and co-write the business and marketing book titled, “Counter-Attack: Business Strategies for Explosive Growth in the New Economy.” The book also featured noted business development expert, best-selling author and speaker, Brian Tracy. Celebrity Press™, founded by JW Dicks, Esq. and Nick Nanton, Esq, is a business book publisher that publishes books from thought leaders around the world.

Bill Banner is an author, world-class business coach and leader with an extraordinary range of business expertise to achieve unprecedented performance.  With 30 years of business experience, Bill mentors his clients with focus on business growth strategies, increasing profitability, igniting employee performance and satisfaction, and creating customer loyalty.

The book, “Counter-Attack: Business Strategies for Explosive Growth in the New Economy” was released on Thursday, January 27, 2011.  The book features business lessons that business owners can use to fight against declining revenues and learn the secrets of success in the new economy.  On the day of release, Counter Attack reached best-seller status in two Amazon.com categories: Marketing and Direct Marketing. Bill Banner authored a chapter in the book titled, “Creating Success Through Accountability.”

From CelebrityPress:
With the economic upheaval we have all experienced in the new economy, it's hard not to feel that the way we do business is under attack. Traditions and the status quo have all been replaced with "New Normals," making it more and more difficult to find a clear-cut path to success. In this refreshingly authentic book, thirty-five business leaders from around the world with very diverse backgrounds have teamed up to share what's working now-so you can stop wondering and start profiting.

To order a copy of the book, go to http://www.amazon.com/Counter-Attack-Business-Strategies-Explosive-Economy/dp/0982908342/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1296240376&sr=8-1

After such a successful release, Bill Banner will be inducted into The National Academy of Best-Selling Authors™, an organization that honors authors from many of the leading independent best seller lists.

To learn more about Bill Banner, visit http://www.billbanner.ca/

To learn more about CelebrityPress™, please visit http://www.CelebrityPressPublishing.com


About Bill Banner:
      
Bill Banner is an author, world-class business coach and leader with an extraordinary range of business expertise to achieve unprecedented performance.  Having built his coaching practice upon 30 years of business experience, he is often called upon to apply his results based approach to operational excellence, team performance, marketing and business development.

Bill has written articles for BusinessLink Newspaper on enhancing business performance and coaches business owners and professionals on how to “get everything they truly want out of business ownership”.  Having grown and run successful multi-million dollar business units himself, Bill mentors his clients with focus on business growth strategies, increasing profitability, igniting employee performance and satisfaction, and creating customer loyalty.

Formally trained first as a mechanical engineer, Bill has always enjoyed building things.  What he is passionate about is building successful businesses and careers.  In addition to one on one Business Coaching, Bill also specializes in Group Coaching, Workshops, and In-House Training and Development.

Bill is a graduate of the University of Toronto, Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering , McMaster University’s DeGroote School of Business and is a licensed Professional Engineer.

Bill’s business coaching practice is located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

To learn more about Bill Banner, visit http://www.billbanner.ca/.  Bill can be reached at bbanner@focalpointcoaching.com or at 905-627-9285.


About Celebrity Press™:

Celebrity Press™, founded by JW Dicks, Esq. and Nick Nanton, Esq, is a business book publisher that publishes books from thought leaders around the world. Celebrity Press™ specializes in helping it’s authors grow their businesses through book publishing. Celebrity Press™ has published books alongside Brian Tracy, Ron Legrand, Mari Smith, Kelly O’Neil, Alexis Martin Neely and many other of the biggest experts across diverse fields.

If you’d like to learn more about Celebrity Press™ or to see if we’re a good fit for your book project, please visit http://www.celebritypresspublishing.com/contact-us


About The National Academy of Best-Selling Authors™:

The National Academy of Best Selling Authors™ was founded by two attorneys, JW Dicks, Esq. and Nick Nation, Esq. who are also best selling authors and represent authors and experts nationwide.  Both of the attorneys are members of multiple organizations, associations and academies that recognize and honor the best in the business, and they thought a similar organization should be created for Best Selling authors who don’t always get recognition for their accomplishment. Authors themselves, they recognized that only a very limited number of books made the major New York Times Best Seller list and just like the awards shows put on by the entertainment-based organizations, they wanted to have more categories for authors to be accepted and recognized for their accomplishment. The National Academy of Best Selling Authors™ now honors authors from many of the leading independent best-seller lists.

To find out more about The National Academy of Best-Selling Authors™ visit http://www.academyofauthors.org/

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Website Marketing Systems Complimentary Training Open Instantly


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"When it comes to your website marketing systems, you need to keep up with the technologies, developments, and systems that your competitors enjoy in order to gain a higher ranking than you. If you are approaching your website marketing systems by exercising a previous solution, it's time to forget what you are struggling with and re-learn a new-found method."

Realize a new ability in MOWG, TFAN, or both, and get the utmost indexing with your website marketing systems. Get started instantly - watch this video: http://www.Easy24HourIncome.com/website-marketing-solutions.html

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Over 1,200 rare and vintage toys are in an online auction ending Feb. 11-12 by SeriousToyz.com


Nearly 1,200 lots of rare, vintage toys, many of them mint in the box and highly desirable pieces, will be sold in a phone, mail, Internet and catalog auction already online at SeriousToyz.com. The sale will conclude Feb. 11-12. It is an absolute auction (everything sells, regardless of price) and many lots have starting bids of just $5 and $10.

   Two lots in particular are expected to generate intense bidder interest. One is an 1870 patent model horse and carriage tin toy, including paperwork (a half-tag indicating when the toy was received, and a patent tag dated July 26, 1870). The other is a rare 1919 A.C. Gilbert & Co. ‘New Wheel’ building toy, mint in the box, also with paperwork.

   Both toys will carry suggested opening bids of $1,500, according to Tom Miano, owner of SeriousToyz.com. He added the auction was delayed a bit from its planned Fall 2010 schedule date. “It took us a little while to get our ducks in a row on this one,” he mused, “but in the end, everything lined up beautifully and we’re looking forward to quite possibly our best sale ever.”

   More than 40 consignors, including several 30- and 40-year lifetime collections, were brought together in an auction that offers something for just about every toy collector and aficionado. Featured are a large number of mint, store stock and factory-sealed items, plus in-depth offerings across dozens of collecting categories. A sampling of what’s for sale follows:

Hundreds of highly collectible die-cast toys, to include Matchbox, Hot Wheels, Corgi, Dinky and more, both boxed and loose, with many scarce and rare variations.

Dozens of sought-after and coveted character toys from the 1950s and ‘60s, many in their original packaging and many factory sealed. A trove for nostalgic baby boomers.
Over 70 beautiful vintage lunch boxes, with many highly desirable issues.

A large group of tin wind-up and battery-operated toys from the early 1900s through the 1950s, including many classic characters.

Scores of pressed steel, tin, cast-iron and plastic vehicle toys, to include cars, trucks, motorcycles, airplanes, trains, ships and more.

Smaller groups of outstanding pieces, in categories such as sand pails, Halloween, Pez, lead soldiers, World’s Fair, tin, early pinbacks, rings, premiums, classic ‘60s toys and more.

Oversized, multiple-view photos of each lot, in full color and with detailed descriptions for each one, may be viewed at www.SeriousToyz.com. “We pride ourselves in holding auctions that offer quality items in all price ranges, so everyone can participate,” Mr. Miano said. “Our auction rules are set up so that everyone has an equal chance to get what they’re bidding on.”

Bidders have several ways to participate. They can log on to the SeriousToyz website, at www.SeriousToyz.com, and bid online. Or, they can mail in a bid (to #1 Baltic Place, Croton-on-Hudson, NY 10520), or phone in their bid, toll-free (at 1-866-653-8699, international 914-271-8669). A full-color catalog ($10 postpaid, $15 international) is now available. Call to order one.

There are no “sudden death” endings in SeriousToyz.com auctions. Each lot has its own computerized “clock,” and items will close individually when 60 minutes pass without a bid. As such, there is no advantage or need for participants to wait for the last minute to place a bid, especially if they are bidding by phone. Bidding before closing days and when using ceiling bids are both advised. Pre-registration with a valid credit card is required before a bid can be placed.

SeriousToyz.com was launched in 1995 by Tom and Patti Miano, dedicated toy collectors who turned their passion into a thriving business. For 15+ years, they’ve sold thousands of items to discriminating collectors worldwide. SeriousToyz  has earned numerous Toy Shop Magazine customer service awards, and is widely regarded as the premier old toy auction house in the U.S.

SeriousToyz is a regular contributor to vintage toy price guides, such as Toys & Prices and O’Brian’s Collecting Toys. SeriousToyz is always accepting quality consignments for future sales. To consign a single toy or a whole collection, you may call Tom Miano toll-free, at (866) 653-8699; or you can e-mail him at Tom@SeriousToyz.com.

For more information about SeriousToyz.com and the current auction ending Feb. 11-12, please log on to www.SeriousToyz.com