PR Newswire

Leading Buyer-Focused Marketplace to Offer High-End Entertainment Memorabilia Through Acquisition of London-based Auction House

SANTA CLARA, Calif., July 24 /PRNewswire/ --eWanted, the leading buyer-focused auction site, today announced that it has agreed to acquire London-based Fleetwood Owen. Co-founded by Mick Fleetwood, founding member and drummer of Fleetwood Mac, and Ted Owen, a pioneer of high-end entertainment auctions, Fleetwood Owen is the world's most prominent auction house dedicated solely to bringing rock, pop, film, sports, and literary treasures to public market. This acquisition, part of eWanted's strategy to increase its focus on the entertainment market, allows the company to connect entertainment buyers and sellers -- ranging from high-end collectors buying at auctions, Internet collectors looking for unique, hard-to-find and authenticated collectibles, and shoppers searching for great deals on CDs, LPs, movies, CD burners, DVD players, books and thousands of other entertainment-related products -- all on a global scale.

``This marriage will combine eWanted's unique buyer-focused marketplace with Fleetwood Owen's auction expertise and extensive network of relationships with dealers, individuals, and celebrities worldwide,'' said Craig Palmer, CEO of eWanted. ``Through our new Emporium we will now give eWanted's 650,000 worldwide members, whether they be an expert collector or a casual fan, access to fully authenticated memorabilia and collectibles at virtually every level of affordability.''

In related exciting announcements, eWanted and Fleetwood Owen's first sale as a combined entity will be ``At the Movies,'' one of the world's largest auctions of unique film and entertainment memorabilia, on July 31, 2001 at the Planet Hollywood in London with simultaneous broadcast via satellite and bidding at Planet Hollywood in San Francisco. Additionally, eBay, The World's Online Marketplace(TM) (Nasdaq: EBAY - news), will enable interested bidders, using eBay Live (TM), to bid online simultaneously with the live Planet Hollywood audiences for many of the lots being offered at this sale.

The Fleetwood Owen Emporium: The Home for Authenticated Fixed-Price Entertainment Collectibles

The Emporium, a new specialty site created by Fleetwood Owen and eWanted ( emporium.ewanted.com ), will offer a range of unique memorabilia from entertainment dealers and individuals that have been authenticated by Fleetwood Owen. At launch, the Emporium will contain a range of items complementing the company's ``At the Movies'' sale, including several unique James Bond collectibles such as limited edition lithographs and prints, signed books, original posters, magazines, and movie replicas. These items may be browsed and immediately purchased online prior to and after the show using a few simple clicks.

``This merger gives Fleetwood Owen the Internet infrastructure to capitalize on the relationships Ted and I have with individuals in the entertainment industry who have unique memorabilia, ideal for Internet sale,'' said Mick Fleetwood, co-founder of Fleetwood Owen. ``Many of these sellers have collectibles never before offered on the Internet that they will entrust to Fleetwood Owen because of our outstanding reputation in the music and entertainment industry.''

As an example of this trust, Fleetwood Owen and eWanted today also announced the opening of Tommy Hanley's gallery on July 31. Hanley, a celebrity photographer, worked with The Beatles in the early days of ``Beatle Mania'' capturing intimate moments of the Fab's rise to fame. In 1999, Hanley started work on his gallery for Fleetwood Owen with a selection of his finest limited edition photographic prints of The Beatles. He will be introducing other legendary rock photographers into the gallery on an ongoing basis.

``At the Movies'' Auction, Planet Hollywood in London and San Francisco via Satellite, July 31

The merged company's first auction, ``At The Movies,'' takes place at Planet Hollywood London on Tuesday, July 31 at 7:00 p.m. GMT and simultaneously at Planet Hollywood San Francisco at 11:00 a.m. PDT. Bidders from both venues will be able to compete for a vast collection of original props, posters, autographs and celebrity ephemera, bidding in the room, on the Internet, and via satellite. Highlights include an impressive array of James Bond items, the most important by far being the Moon Buggy driven by Sean Connery in the 1971 film ``Diamonds Are Forever,'' and Stanley Kubrick's gold Mercedes saloon, owned by him from 1973 until he died in 1999.

``This is an exciting month for Fleetwood Owen as we are announcing our new Internet component through our merger with eWanted, and our 'At The Movies'' sale represents our first live celebrity and film auction,`` said Ted Owen, co-founder, Fleetwood Owen. ''It's an important time for our company because we are expanding our business to encompass online capabilities.``

eWanted is the leading buyer-focused marketplace where a diverse community of businesses and individuals buy and sell through a variety of integrated online and physical methods. With an increasing focus on the entertainment market fueled by the recent acquisition of Fleetwood Owen, the world's most prominent auction house dedicated to entertainment memorabilia, eWanted now conducts global business with high-end collectors buying at auction, Internet collectors looking for unique, hard-to-find and authenticated collectibles, and Internet shoppers searching for great deals on CDs, LPs, DVDs, electronics, books and thousand of other entertainment products. Fleetwood Owen was co-founded by Mick Fleetwood, founding member and drummer of Fleetwood Mac, and Ted Owen, a leader in high-end entertainment auctions.

eWanted was named an InfoWorld eBusiness Top 100 Company and is a three-time Top 100 Web Site by PC Magazine. Through its comprehensive DealShield(TM) program and the trust and integrity of the Fleetwood Owen brand honed by over 15 years of experience in the auction marketplace, the eWanted team ensures a safe and secure forum for its community to transact either through the Internet or live auctions.