Notorious Fakes

[CWLeadManiac]

I know there are a few reputable dealers who sell on Ebay but besides Secondhand Collectibles, are there any sellers who are well known for selling repros as authentic relics?

 

[Jack7171]

I know there are a few reputable dealers who sell on Ebay but besides Secondhand Collectibles, are there any sellers who are well known for selling repros as authentic relics?

General Lee burned me,,19 bucks for brown jug excavated from a union camp, and 15 bucks for a clay inkwell also dug from.a union camp trash pit. When I got the jug, it had a tiny paper inside it,,I fished it out and it was "inspected by" with a Chinese name. The inkwell, was just as clean on the inside as it was on the outside. So when I see him selling pieces of USS Constitution sail cloth, or an original padlock from Libby prison,,I hafta be skeptical

 

[Cato3rd]

eBay is such a tricky site. You can find some amazing deals but you got to sift through a lot of questionable chunk. One of the best pieces of advice I got for collecting was, "buy the item, not the story". I saw recently on the Civilwar Reddit page a person who recently bought a supposed confederate Kepi cap for 2,000 dollars. The buyer thinks it's real because of all the positive reviews from the seller but it's a repro hat. On the flip side, it makes it tough for people like me who will occasionally sell stuff who are honest but don't have the name recognition like the Horse Soldier or Union Drummer Boy.

 

[Jack7171]

eBay is such a tricky site. You can find some amazing deals but you got to sift through a lot of questionable chunk. One of the best pieces of advice I got for collecting was, "buy the item, not the story". I saw recently on the Civilwar Reddit page a person who recently bought a supposed confederate Kepi cap for 2,000 dollars. The buyer thinks it's real because of all the positive reviews from the seller but it's a repro hat. On the flip side, it makes it tough for people like me who will occasionally sell stuff who are honest but don't have the name recognition like the Horse Soldier or Union Drummer Boy.

Brendan is involved in a few FB groups that deal with authentication/values/buying and selling of items and he does a lot "teaching" in the groups on what to look for in different items, and what to run from. Hands on experience and years of buying can't be learned from FB, but he's trying really hard to help people from.getting smoked on ebay and fb.

 

[CWLeadManiac]

General Lee burned me,,19 bucks for brown jug excavated from a union camp, and 15 bucks for a clay inkwell also dug from.a union camp trash pit. When I got the jug, it had a tiny paper inside it,,I fished it out and it was "inspected by" with a Chinese name. The inkwell, was just as clean on the inside as it was on the outside. So when I see him selling pieces of USS Constitution sail cloth, or an original padlock from Libby prison,,I hafta be skeptical

I always wondered about their stuff. A lot of it looks way too new to be authentic. Thanks!!

 

[Cato3rd]

Brendan is involved in a few FB groups that deal with authentication/values/buying and selling of items and he does a lot "teaching" in the groups on what to look for in different items, and what to run from. Hands on experience and years of buying can't be learned from FB, but he's trying really hard to help people from.getting smoked on ebay and fb.

Brendan is a good man. I used to be close with his father before the stroke. I used to hang out there during New Years every year with my girlfriend. They would throw a party every year in the cigar shop, next door to the relic shop, every NYE. I got yelled at one time for bringing this weird, one-off holiday beer that Budweiser put out that tasted terrible. Good memories

 

[R. Porter]

There was somebody on eBay who used to sell swords with elaborate backstories. They were always bought directly from the family and were owned by a historical figure that could be researched. I used to research the stories to see how possible they might be. On time he had a French cavalry sword that had been used by one ancestor when serving under Napoleon. Then it was brought to America and used by the ancestor in the Mexican War. The problem was the sword was a model 1816. Another time a family heirloom rapier was actually a modern weapon that had been distressed

 

[Cornpone and Molasses]

I stick with trusted dealers. There are some really good ones out there! Buy the research books too and put in the time. You can never have too much knowledge when it comes to collecting ACW artifacts.

 

[Present Arms]

There was somebody on eBay who used to sell swords with elaborate backstories. They were always bought directly from the family and were owned by a historical figure that could be researched. I used to research the stories to see how possible they might be. On time he had a French cavalry sword that had been used by one ancestor when serving under Napoleon. Then it was brought to America and used by the ancestor in the Mexican War. The problem was the sword was a model 1816. Another time a family heirloom rapier was actually a modern weapon that had been distressed

There are elaborate phonies out there. Some are engraved with dedications to historical figures. I am surprised that a faker would go to such lengths, yet they do. Many originated with the notorious House of Swords in Missouri.

 

[gjpratt]

I gave up on eBay decades ago. Too much time and trouble sorting through the trash looking for that gem or diamond in the rough. There was one notorious dealer who had multiple accounts and he would use them to bid up his own items. It was pretty easy to figure out by following each account. Someone thereafter opened an account in the name "itsafake" and started submitting low ball bids on auctions of these and other disreputable dealers…….

 

[bayonet]

I got took for a 6 pound ACW cannonball about 25 years ago on E-Bay but only out about $30. As the internet evolved and more research was available it was made clear it was a mill ball. In the dumpster it went. Having a large collection of Polearms from the Rev War era I have picked up 2 or 3 Spontoon heads (maybe 4) on E-Bay that were legit and mounted them. Recently this guy on E-Bay had a Troiani print I've been looking for for years. Said pay the price on make an offer. So I made an offer but he comes back and said something like I did not make the offer correctly by some policy or something. Scratching my head about this after 2 or 3 days of contact with him the **** thing sold. Numnuts just give me a counter offer will you, heck I would of even paid the full price!
Yeah be careful with E-Bay and stick with the reputable Dealers. Some that even post on this website.

 

[Pollaco]

I feel sorry for one of our younger newer members. He was enthusiastic about getting his first cannon ball then found out it was just a mill ball for crushing ore instead.He declined to say who the seller was. I personally think you can't go wrong with Heritage Auctions.

 

[CWLeadManiac]

I feel better just buying bullets on Ebay. The way I look at it is that a bullet is not worth the time and effort to just make a buck or two by selling a counterfeit.

 

[RedRover]

I asked a park ranger at a Civil War battlefield some years ago if he ever had trouble with relic hunters digging up bullets. He told me not really, but he did catch a chap burying some bullets near the boundary of the park... the intent evidently being to come back with friends/hobbyists and "find" a cache... dug at so and so....

 

[Salterr]

Oh boy you've hit a sore spot! eBay makes me crazy. Secondhand collectibles wouldn't know a real piece from a hole in the ground. Generallee is also nonsense. Others that are trying to sell fakes are landofjane, shevohr9 and 1961dwayne. It's remarkable that people are spending so much money on fakes. Sometimes even more than real items cost. There's a fake cs buckle with a bullet in it right now and some fool has a bid in for $500!!!

 

[Salterr]

Brendan is involved in a few FB groups that deal with authentication/values/buying and selling of items and he does a lot "teaching" in the groups on what to look for in different items, and what to run from. Hands on experience and years of buying can't be learned from FB, but he's trying really hard to help people from.getting smoked on ebay and fb.

I try and help on Facebook groups too luckily so far there haven't been many posts in the groups with outright fake items.

 

[Salterr]

I feel sorry for one of our younger newer members. He was enthusiastic about getting his first cannon ball then found out it was just a mill ball for crushing ore instead.He declined to say who the seller was. I personally think you can't go wrong with Heritage Auctions.

Heritage has had some really amazing items in the past civil war auctions!

 

[gjpratt]

Brendan is involved in a few FB groups that deal with authentication/values/buying and selling of items and he does a lot "teaching" in the groups on what to look for in different items, and what to run from. Hands on experience and years of buying can't be learned from FB, but he's trying really hard to help people from.getting smoked on ebay and fb.

What are Brendan's FB groups?

 

[CWLeadManiac]

What are Brendan's FB groups?

I'm wondering too...

 

[Jack7171]

What are Brendan's FB groups?