Fakes

[Gwar]

Forgive me if this is in the wrong thread / posting point.
We have all came across fakes in our quest of good finds and sometimes it happens..
The house favors our lack of knowledge or insight.
I have a drawer of shame.. pieces not genuine.
So, If my box / drawer is discovered after a demise I would certainly suggest to pre mark them as such. We know them as fantasy or horrible recreations.. I choose to keep them as to not fool or deceive for sale, and one less fake is one less collector out of $$
I firmly believe that if we do this simple task we as collectors could weed out some pitfalls for the future of the hobby. I also believe that study before buying is crucial and vetting here is probably the best way to avoid a mishap, I understand and have been in situations that there are merely minutes to ascertain validity and on impulse "Buy".. It happens !!
Mod's please move this to the proper thread if deemed.. G

[Composite]

I think this is admirable and I fully respect your plans....but I fear as you strive to withdraw a tiny drop, another huge wave of fakes, whatever they may be, crashes on our beach...

Sadly whenever your "suspect" items re-enter the market, even if / when they are clearly described, it won't be long before someone in the chain tries it on......indeed, they may even be enhanced and passed off as even better / more rare than they were originally supposed to be....and remember that by then they'll have age too.

...and I suspect that the belief is that if we ALL do it that's bound to make a difference.......I'm not convinced.....but withdrawing things from the market for the time being might make one feel better...and that's a good thing

[BOB COLEMAN]

In the past, I have destroyed them so no further harm could be done.

[real steel]

"A drawer of shame". love the description.
Had a few badges & a belt buckle that were bad, gave them to my friends 8 year old to play with. They got destroyed from an 8 year olds inquisitive nature & rough handling. It's a good thing

[BOB COLEMAN]

I have moved this thread to Discussions as it is an important topic.

[bigmacglenn]

Here's a related dilemma I never saw coming...I see a certain badge offered by Weitze for several hundred Euros...Then I see another example of the same badge offered by PhillipsMilitaria for several hundred Euros...But someone on the Forum will pronounce it as a Fake ... Who do you believe??
cheers, Glenn

[BOB COLEMAN]

Here's a related dilemma I never saw coming...I see a certain badge offered by Weitze for several hundred Euros...Then I see another example of the same badge offered by PhillipsMilitaria for several hundred Euros...But someone on the Forum will pronounce it as a Fake ... Who do you believe??
cheers, Glenn

Most dealers specialize in certain areas and are not to be considered experts on everything. Some dealers purposely sell bad stuff under the thought that if it does not come back, it realizes more profit. Bad opinions can also come from individuals on the forums. I would take in to consideration that an opinion by a collector who specializes in an area and is a known commodity is likely to be more reliable.

[MAP]

My draw of shame is well known here using a group photo of them often as a teaching aid. While I have not marked them with a dremel yet, I do plan to do so. Good thing however is that my son knows the "case of fakes" that they are all stored in...plus 9 or 10 out of 500+ items is a pretty good ratio but it do not mix them up with my real items.

Edit: This is where I keep all my fakes....a single place

DSC01122.jpg

[CBH]

A fake gallery or sub-forum would be useful, similar too Stonemint's Questionable Visor Thread.

Fake SS Tk's would run for pages alone and would be a handy tool.

Maybe in the Gold Finger Section.... I mean Member.

[BOB COLEMAN]

A fake gallery or sub-forum would be useful, similar too Stonemint's Questionable Visor Thread.

Fake SS Tk's would run for pages alone and would be a handy tool.

Maybe in the Gold Finger Section.... I mean Member.

An interesting idea. I would guess around 2/3 of items posted on the forum are fakes. It would be a massive undertaking and my guess is one very dedicated individual would have to do that and only that. I would suggest sending a PM to Adrian and get his reaction.