Turtle Shell Art

[Bear]

Hello,

I took my dog to the vet yesterday and thought I'd take the turtle with us. The vet laughed and said its not a real shell. It will go in the next garage sale.

thanks,

barry

[Ed_Haynes]

Oops. But at least it is (now) legal to sell.

[kharrar]

Barry,

I have a shell just like yours; I am in Arizona. If you could email me directly at karl@northlink.com I can send you some pictures of mine. The only thing I am worried about is it seems like some of the imperfections on yours are the same as mine. Hope they are not made from a mold??? Will try to take some scapping from the back and see if the material melts?

Look forward to hearing from you,

Karl

[gloribelle]

Hi Guys,

sorry to say this is a very well made mold. I have the same piece & bought it 25 years ago in a Paris flea market. I was sure it was the real deal back then. After some research I have seen a dozen examples & this description:

It is sometimes called "fakeshaw"

"This is a well-known fake of a scrimshawed sea turtle shell. It is NOT a replica or reproduction, because no original ever existed. The image was designed by a master mold-maker of the Juratone Company of London, England. The image as well as the shell joints were part of a mold, into which liquid plastic was poured. Hundreds, if not thousands of identical copies were made and sold by Juratone. The fake is very heavy, and freight costs more than the plastic is worth"