GREG MANNING AUCTIONS, INC. 1997 STOCK INCENTIVE PLAN

Exhibit 10.1

GREG MANNING AUCTIONS, INC.

1997 STOCK INCENTIVE PLAN

Table of Contents

ARTICLE I

GENERAL

1.1 PURPOSE

          The purpose of the Greg Manning Auctions, Inc. 1997 Stock Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) is to provide for officers, other employees and directors of, and consultants to, Greg Manning Auctions, Inc. (the “Company”) and its subsidiaries an incentive (a) to enter into and remain in the service of the Company, (b) to enhance the long-term performance of the Company, and (c) to acquire a proprietary interest in the success of the Company.

1.2 ADMINISTRATION

          1.2.1 Subject to Section 1.2.6, the Plan shall be administered by the Stock Option Committee (the “Committee”) of the board of directors of the Company (the “Board”), which shall consist of not less than two directors. The members of the Committee shall be appointed by, and serve at the pleasure of, the Board. To the extent required for transactions under the Plan to qualify for the exemptions available under Rule 16b-3 (“Rule 16b-3”) promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “1934 Act”), all actions relating to awards to persons subject to Section 16 of the 1934 Act shall be taken by the Board unless each person who serves on the Committee is a “non-employee director” within the meaning of Rule 16b-3 or such actions are taken by a sub-committee of the Committee (or the Board) comprised solely of “non-employee directors”. To the extent required for compensation realized from awards under the Plan to be deductible by the Company pursuant to section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Code”), the members of the Committee shall be “outside directors” within the meaning of section 162(m).

          1.2.2 The Committee shall have the authority (a) to exercise all of the powers granted to it under the Plan, (b) to construe, interpret and implement the Plan and any Plan Agreements executed pursuant to Section 2.1, (c) to prescribe, amend and rescind rules and regulations relating to the Plan, including rules governing its own operations, (d) to make all determinations necessary or advisable in administering the Plan, (e) to correct any defect, supply any omission and reconcile any inconsistency in the Plan, (f) to amend the Plan to reflect changes in applicable law, (g) to determine whether, to what extent and under what circumstances awards may be settled or exercised in cash, Shares of Common Stock, other securities, other awards or other property, or canceled, forfeited or suspended and the method or methods by which awards may be settled, canceled, forfeited or suspended, and (h) to determine whether, to what extent and under what circumstances cash, shares of Common Stock, other securities, other awards or other property and other amounts payable with respect to an award shall be deferred either automatically or at the election of the holder thereof or of the Committee.

          1.2.3 Actions of the Committee shall be taken by the vote of a majority of its members. Any action may be taken by a written instrument signed by a majority of the Committee members, and action so taken shall be fully as effective as if it had been taken by a vote at a meeting.

          1.2.4 The determination of the Committee on all matters relating to the Plan or any Plan Agreement shall be final, binding and conclusive.

          1.2.5 No member of the Committee shall be liable for any action or determination made in good faith with respect to the Plan or any award thereunder.

          1.2.6 Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein: (a) until the Board shall appoint the members of the Committee, the Plan shall be administered by the Board; and (b) the Board may, in its sole discretion, at any time and from time to time, grant awards or resolve to administer the Plan. In either of the foregoing events, the Board shall have all of the authority and responsibility granted to the Committee herein.

1.3 PERSONS ELIGIBLE FOR AWARDS

          Awards under the Plan may be made to such directors, officers and other employees of the Company and its subsidiaries (including prospective employees conditioned on their becoming employees), and to such consultants to the Company and its subsidiaries (collectively, “key persons”) as the Committee shall in its discretion select.

1.4 TYPES OF AWARDS UNDER PLAN

          Awards may be made under the Plan in the form of (a) incentive stock options (within the meaning of section 422 of the Code), (b) nonqualified stock options, (c) stock appreciation rights, (d) dividend equivalent rights, (e) restricted stock, (f) restricted stock units and (g) other stock-based awards, all as more fully set forth in Article II. The term “award” means any of the foregoing. No incentive stock option (other than an incentive stock option that may be assumed or issued by the Company in connection with a transaction to which section 424(a) of the Code applies) may be granted to a person who is not an employee of the Company on the date of grant.

1.5 SHARES AVAILABLE FOR AWARDS

          1.5.1 The total number of shares of common stock of the Company, par value $.01 per share (“Common Stock”), which may be issued in connection with awards granted under the Plan shall, together with any shares issued in connection with awards granted under the Greg Manning Auctions, Inc. 1993 Stock Option Plan, as amended (the “1993 Plan”), not exceed 850,000. Such shares may be authorized but unissued Common Stock or authorized and issued Common Stock held in the Company’s treasury or acquired by the Company for the purposes of the Plan. The Committee may direct that any stock certificate evidencing shares issued pursuant to the Plan shall bear a legend setting forth such restrictions on transferability as may apply to such shares pursuant to the Plan. If, after the effective date of the Plan, any award is forfeited or any award otherwise terminates or is cancelled without the delivery of shares of Common Stock, then the shares covered by such award or to which such award relates shall again become available for transfer pursuant to awards granted or to be granted under this Plan. Any shares of Common Stock delivered by the Company, any shares of Common Stock with respect to which awards are made by the Company and any shares of Common Stock with respect to which the Company becomes obligated to make awards, through the assumption of, or in substitution for, outstanding awards previously granted by an acquired entity, shall not be counted against the shares available for awards under this Plan.

          1.5.2 The total number of shares of Common Stock with respect to which stock options and stock appreciation rights may be granted to any one employee of the Company or a subsidiary during any one-year period shall not exceed 100,000.

          1.5.3 Subject to any required action by the shareholders of the Company, the number of shares of Common Stock covered by each outstanding award, the number of shares available for awards, the number of shares that may be subject to awards to any one employee, and the price per share of Common Stock covered by each such outstanding award shall be proportionately adjusted for any increase or decrease in the number of issued shares of Common Stock resulting from a stock split, reverse stock split, stock dividend, combination or reclassification of the Common Stock, or any other increase or decrease in the number of issued shares of Common Stock effected without receipt of consideration by the Company; provided, however, that conversion of any convertible securities of the Company shall not be deemed to have been “effected without receipt of consideration.” Such adjustment shall be made by the Committee, whose determination in that respect shall be final, binding and conclusive. Except as expressly provided herein, no issuance by the Company of shares of stock of any class, or securities convertible into shares of stock of any class, shall affect, and no adjustment by reason thereof shall be made with respect to, the number or price of shares of Common Stock subject to an award. After any adjustment made pursuant to this Section 1.5.3, the number of shares subject to each outstanding award shall be rounded to the nearest whole number.

          1.5.4 Except as provided in this Section 1.5 and in Section 2.3.8, there shall be no limit on the number or the value of the shares of Common Stock that may be subject to awards to any individual under the Plan.

1.6 Definitions of Certain Terms

          1.6.1 The “Fair Market Value” of a share of Common Stock on any day shall be determined as follows.

     (a) If the principal market for the Common Stock (the “Market”) is a national securities exchange or the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation System (“NASDAQ”) National Market, the last sale price or, if no reported sales take place on the applicable date, the average of the high bid and low asked price of Common Stock as reported for such Market on such date or, if no such quotation is made on such date, on the next preceding day on which there were quotations, provided that such quotations shall have been made within the ten (10) business days preceding the applicable date;

     (b) If the Market is the NASDAQ National List, the NASDAQ Supplemental List or another market, the average of the high bid and low asked price for Common Stock on the applicable date, or, if no such quotations shall have been made on such date, on the next preceding day on which there were quotations, provided that such quotations shall have been made within the ten (10) business days preceding the applicable date; or,

     (c) In the event that neither paragraph (a) nor (b) shall apply, the Fair Market Value of a share of Common Stock on any day shall be determined in good faith by the Committee.

          1.6.2 The term “incentive stock option” means an option that is intended to qualify for special federal income tax treatment pursuant to sections 421 and 422 of the Code, as now constituted or subsequently amended, or pursuant to a successor provision of the Code, and which is so designated in the applicable Plan Agreement. Any option that is not specifically designated as an incentive stock option shall under no circumstances be considered an incentive stock option. Any option that is not an incentive stock option is referred to herein as a “nonqualified stock option.”

          1.6.3 The term “employment” means, in the case of a grantee of an award under the Plan who is not an employee of the Company, the grantee’s association with the Company or a subsidiary as a director, consultant or otherwise.

          1.6.4 A grantee shall be deemed to have a “termination of employment” upon ceasing to be employed by the Company and all of its subsidiaries or by a corporation assuming awards in a transaction to which section 424(a) of the Code applies. The Committee may in its discretion determine (a) whether any leave of absence constitutes a termination of employment for purposes of the Plan, (b) the impact, if any, of any such leave of absence on awards theretofore made under the Plan, and (c) when a change in a non-employee’s association with the Company constitutes a termination of employment for purposes of the Plan. The Committee shall have the right to determine whether the termination of a grantee’s employment is a dismissal for cause and the date of termination in such case, which date the Committee may retroactively deem to be the date of the action that is cause for dismissal. Such determinations of the Committee shall be final, binding and conclusive.

          1.6.5 The term “cause,” when used in connection with termination of a grantee’s employment, shall have the meaning set forth in any then-effective employment agreement between the grantee and the Company or a subsidiary thereof. In the absence of such an employment agreement provision, “cause” means: (a) conviction of any crime (whether or not involving the Company) constituting a felony in the jurisdiction involved; (b) engaging in any substantiated act involving moral turpitude; (c) engaging in any act which, in each case, subjects, or if generally known would subject, the Company to public ridicule or embarrassment; (d) material violation of the Company’s policies, including, without limitation, those relating to sexual harassment or the disclosure or misuse of confidential information; (e) serious neglect or misconduct in the performance of the grantee’s duties for the Company or a subsidiary or willful or repeated failure or refusal to perform such duties; in each case as determined by the Committee, which determination shall be final, binding and conclusive.

ARTICLE II
AWARDS UNDER THE PLAN

2.1 AGREEMENTS EVIDENCING AWARDS

          Each award granted under the Plan (except an award of unrestricted stock) shall be evidenced by a written agreement (“Plan Agreement”) which shall contain such provisions as the Committee in its discretion deems necessary or desirable. Such provisions may include, without limitation, a requirement that the grantee become a party to a shareholders’ agreement with respect to any shares of Common Stock acquired pursuant to the award, a requirement that the grantee acknowledge that such shares are acquired for investment purposes only, and a right of first refusal exercisable by the Company in the event that the grantee wishes to transfer any such shares. The Committee may grant awards in tandem with or in substitution for any other award or awards granted under this Plan or any award granted under any other plan of the Company or any subsidiary. Payments or transfers to be made by the Company or any subsidiary upon the grant, exercise or payment of an award may be made in such form as the Committee shall determine, including cash, shares of Common Stock, other securities, other awards or other property and may be made in a single payment or transfer, in installments or on a deferred basis, in each case in accordance with rules established by the Committee. By accepting an award pursuant to the Plan, a grantee thereby agrees that the award shall be subject to all of the terms and provisions of the Plan and the applicable Plan Agreement.

2.2 NO RIGHTS AS A SHAREHOLDER

          No grantee of an option or stock appreciation right (or other person having the right to exercise such award) shall have any of the rights of a shareholder of the Company with respect to shares subject to such award until the issuance of a stock certificate to such person for such shares. Except as otherwise provided in Section 1.5.3, no adjustment shall be made for dividends, distributions or other rights (whether ordinary or extraordinary, and whether in cash, securities or other property) for which the record date is prior to the date such stock certificate is issued.

          2.3.1 The Committee may grant incentive stock options and nonqualified stock options (collectively, “options”) to purchase shares of Common Stock from the Company, to such key persons, in such amounts and subject to such terms and conditions, as the Committee shall determine in its discretion, subject to the provisions of the Plan.

          2.3.2 The Committee may grant stock appreciation rights to such key persons, in such amounts and subject to such terms and conditions, as the Committee shall determine in its discretion, subject to the provisions of the Plan. Stock appreciation rights may be granted in connection with all or any part of, or independently of, any option granted under the Plan. A stock appreciation right granted in connection with a nonqualified stock option may be granted at or after the time of grant of such option. A stock appreciation right granted in connection with an incentive stock option may be granted only at the time of grant of such option.

          2.3.3 The grantee of a stock appreciation right shall have the right, subject to the terms of the Plan and the applicable Plan Agreement, to receive from the Company an amount equal to (a) the excess of the Fair Market Value of a share of Common Stock on the date of exercise of the stock appreciation right over (b) the exercise price of such right as set forth in the Plan Agreement (or over the option exercise price if the stock appreciation right is granted in connection with an option), multiplied by (c) the number of shares with respect to which the stock appreciation right is exercised. Payment upon exercise of a stock appreciation right shall be in cash or in shares of Common Stock (valued at their Fair Market Value on the date of exercise of the stock appreciation right) or both, all as the Committee shall determine in it