"We do not believe, nor do our major shareholders to the best of our knowledge, that putting the company up for sale is the way to get that value, " Mr. Gellein said in an interview earlier this month.

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"After the attempted sale ... the FBI's knowledge of the art's whereabouts is limited, " the FBI said in a statement released Monday.

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Others wing it and hope that their charm, talent and knowledge of the product or service they are pushing will get them the sale.

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