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Disclaimer
and Things to Consider
Information on fakes and reproductions posted on this website comes with
no guarantees or warranties. It is advisory only. We do not judge
the authenticity of any particular item. Please do not ask.
We post as much detailed information as is provided by collectors
who are known in the hobby to have experience and knowledge in particular
areas of collecting. We believe the information is reliable and accurate,
but sometimes this is an editorial "judgment call". Publishing
information on fakes carries some amount of risk. On the one hand,
making accurate information widely available has obvious benefits to the
hobby. On the other hand, spreading inaccurate (or just plain wrong)
information can cause damage by devaluing legitimate items or harming reputations. While
some fakes are obvious and even documented, others are a matter or opinion
or judgment. Nothing generates controversy in the hobby like questions
about authenticity, and even experts have argued over whether a given item
is real or fake.
In judging the authenticity of an item, consider the points
listed below. They reflect the collective wisdom of a number
of experienced collectors on this issue:
- Just because some items are known (or strongly believed) to be
reproductions, this does not mean that all items in this general
category are reproductions.
- Some authentic items are distinguished from counterfeits by very
subtle differences in shape, markings, surface texture, etc. Some
modern reproductions have been made with the same basic tooling
as their older predecessors (some badges for example) so distinctions
between old and new become extremely difficult to make.
- Beware of statements like "..don't know if this is old or
not," particularly on internet auction sites. This could be
a hedge by the seller who suspects an item is a fake but who wants
to be able to counter demands for a refund by saying that authenticity
was never guaranteed in the first place.
- On the other hand, also beware of statements like "I haven't
seen this before so it must be fake." The hobby has seen
many legitimate "one of a kind" items due to short production
runs, manufacturing mistakes, customized salesman samples, or other
reasons. For example, china collectors are constantly turning
up new patterns or oddly colored/marked examples of existing patterns.
- In trying to determine the authenticity of an item, use common
sense and consider that although we all would like to think we've
stumbled on a truly unusual find, this tends to be a rare event. For
example, when someone shows up with a bunch of "old" glass
railroad signs, all the same, what's the probability that they're
genuine?
- Beware of the natural tendency to read too much into unfamiliar
markings. Many non-railroad companies used "railroad
style" lanterns. For example, the initials "DW&P" is
commonly found on some tubular lanterns (sometimes called "barn
lanterns"), but this stands for Department of Water and Power
rather than "Duluth, Winnipeg, & Pacific" [Railroad],
which many collectors would prefer. Note that there are genuine markings
for the Duluth Winnipeg & Pacific but these are usually found
on railroad style lanterns, not tubular "barn lanterns".
- Railroad markings that reflect earlier corporate names may not
be accurate indicators of the age of an item. For example,
it was common practice to reorganize railroad companies by changing
the name from "railroad" to "railway", but company
items may have continued to be marked with the earlier designation. Many
if not most "Corning style" Northern Pacific globes are
marked "N.P. R.R." (RR=Railroad) even
though the company reorganized as a "Railway" in
1886, a number of years before this globe style really came into
general use. Possible explanations: globe manufacturers may
have continued to use the old pattern molds without worrying about
corporate distinctions of interest only to Wall Street or/and the
railroad continued to use old stocks of globes.
- Information on fakes can sometimes be frustratingly vague. We
would like to see point-by-point diagnostics but instead may get
general advice about things to watch out for. In most instances,
this reflects caution on the part of those providing the information,
since it is always possible that legitimate variations may turn up
in the future (See points above). In addition, distinctions
may not be very easy to describe. For example, the glass in
many reproduction colored globes has a "cheap" quality
about it, but this is almost impossible to convey to someone who
hasn't examined authentic colored globes. For this reason, veteran
collectors are quite unanimous in saying that the best protection
against fakes is education and experience: Attend shows, examine
items carefully, and talk with others in the hobby.
- People sometimes email us demanding detailed "proof" that
their particular item is a fake. First, we do not judge the authenticity
of any individual item. Second, the burden of proof is the other
way around. If you have an item that is similar to others judged
by experienced collectors to be fake, it is up to you to prove
that your item is not in this group.
- In internet auctions, beware of sellers who do not post the names
of the high bidder. The listing will say "User ID kept private".
This may be an indication that the items that they are selling
are fake, and they don't want other persons to notify bidders of
this fact.
Thanks to other collectors for sending in suggestions and comments
for this page.
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