A word of caution.

[Adrian]

Guys,
There has been a noticeable trend recently of members commenting on items, not just in this area but across the forum, where the comment reads something along the lines of: "I'm no expert but this is a fake/original" (delete as appropriate) or "I know nothing about these but.........."

Please, if you don't know anything about it or have no idea what you're commenting on, don't.

Ask questions yes, give reasons for your opinion, of course but please hold back unless you've got a valid reason to comment. Giving your opinion with a caveat of "I don't know anything about these items" as a way of excusing yourself of responsibility if the potential buyer of an item makes a mistake is wrong.

There have been many times where I and other members here have had to step in after a wrong authentication of an item by an inexperienced person in that particular area.

Please think about the consequences of your comment, saying an item is real when you really don't have a clue could cause a fellow member/collector to make an expensive mistake, telling them their long sought after item is a reproduction when it is in fact real could make them miss out on a deal.

I'm not discouraging members from getting involved, far from it, I'm trying to encourage discussion on items in the right way, by asking if you don't know, making observations and learning from your enquirys. I'm trying to discourage the real or fake comments given without any real and factual information to back it up.

Also, please remember, shiny and new pieces can be original. Dirty, rusty and old looking pieces can be brand new.

[Adrian Stevenson]

I would ally myself with Adrian's comments.

Cheers, Ade.

[Grimebox]

I think it's pertinent to recognise that there is a difference between being a collector and an expert. I have a relatively large collection of WW2 militaria but I am by no means an expert which is why I rarely comment on authenticity unless I am confident in my answer.
Being an expert takes time and commitment, neither of which I have because I am too busy buying militaria!!

[goodbuys]

It takes a huge amount of expertise to say a person is an expert in certain fields.I totally agree what Adrian said and Ade said on his post.We have to many one and two year experts in this hobby.I use that phrase to mean that unless you have the knowledge that goes with the many years of seeing ,touching, researching,etc. then just read and not comment on things you don't know diddly about! I been collecting since 1969 and their are areas of German memoribilla i have not really collected so i shut my mouth when i am not sure about a posted piece!Remember when you comment on a piece how would feel if some guy puts your item down and doesn't have the foggiest idea what hes talking about!In this hobby mis-information abounds and we should try all of us to not add to it.

[Brett]

Hello Adrian
The same concern could certainly apply to things observed recently i.e. new member, nearly 100 posts in the first week , none with any constructive content.
There is nothing wrong with being keen & eager, but reading between the lines one can pick up on the subtle nuances that point to the fact that the poster
does not really have any idea what he is talking about. However advice given by the poster, whether sound or not, might just be taken as gospel by another
inexperienced collector solely by the quickly accumulated post count displayed.

Regards
Brett

[VolksJager]

You make a very good point there Brett. I did notice on a couple of the threads started by me, one of the first responses was from the said member stating he had no idea but gave advice anyways. Didnt bother me but I could see how another newer member could get the wrong impression or bad advice.

I would hate people to take all of this the wrong way and decide not to post at all because they are worried about a smart retaliatory comment or sarcasm. I would also not want to see an "us and them" mentality start, where only veteran older members are taken seriously. The friendly group here is why I dont really post anywhere else and I do agree with Adrian all the way.

Cheers
Jason

[Adrian]

Hello Adrian
The same concern could certainly apply to things observed recently i.e. new member, nearly 100 posts in the first week , none with any constructive content.
There is nothing wrong with being keen & eager, but reading between the lines one can pick up on the subtle nuances that point to the fact that the poster
does not really have any idea what he is talking about. However advice given by the poster, whether sound or not, might just be taken as gospel by another
inexperienced collector solely by the quickly accumulated post count displayed.

Regards
Brett

Absolutely.

Judgement should be made on post quality, not quantity. It is possible to rack up a high post count very quickly without making much of a contribution. I would rather see members accumulate posts by asking relevant questions and making observations on points rather than endless 'nice item' posts which can fool others into thinking they're more experienced than they actually are.

[metho31]

Adrian.......you so right about that ...thumbs up.

[Nitram]

I'm guilty of doing this a few times, but I only comment on something that I know a bit about (No expert, but if the person is more clueless than me, every little helps, right?), or if it's obvious that there is something fishy. Is that form of commenting acceptable or should I stop?

Nitram

[Adrian]

There is no problem commenting and making observations if you think you know something or can make a worthwhile contribution.

I would like to stop the "I don't know anything about these but it's a fake" type posts.

It's a fake?

Explain..........

Oh sorry, you don't know anything about it..........

Hmm. How can you say its a fake then?

What we would like to see is: "I'm not entirely sure but comparing this one against known originals I think this is a fake because............."
That way it encourages members to look things up, it helps others learn no matter if the comments are wrong or right. If a discussion can then take place on the points raised it makes the forum a better place and everyone can learn and benefit.