Fake A Rare post era variation......

[Ulsterman]

I picked this up for free over the weekend whilst chatting with Rick. this is the amazingly rare ' post era' aluminum spray painted gold version of the Centennial medal. it weighs an ounce and clinks like the ex soda can it is. It just goes to show you they are faking everything these days. also, the descriptive nomenclature is a la Der Rittmeister according to Rick. also, I am testing the IPad camera.

[Claudius]

Amazing. Why-o-why would you want to fake that medal? I just passed on one I found in a coin store. (Someone turned into a "coin" by cutting off the öse and carefully grinding it down to the rim. I didn't even ask how much it was going for.)

Is it possible to get enough money for the faker's investment of time and effort?

For other medals, if the strikes and weights get any closer to period pieces, we are all going to have carry around x-ray fluorescence analyzers to check for metal composition.

[Les]

Why fake commonly found medals (or anything else)? There's a saying about learning to crawl before walking, and walking before running.

No one learns how to make top-notch fakes of rare/costly items without developing the requisiste basic and necessary methods and skills first. If someone learns how to make and fob-off commonly found items that are convincing that can be developed into increasingly more complicated items with higher returns for their efforts. The combination of learned skills, methods, and knowing what the differences between a fake and the real thing is, can eventually be used to pass off fakes that are very difficult, if not impossible, to tell from the real thing.

[Ulsterman]

In this case it was Kelly's of Massachusetts and they have been doing rare post era variations for decades....especially German badges etc.

[Les]

If my point wasn't clear, I was referring to the actual manufacturers of fake medals who supply the items to retailers for direct sales to individual customers. Kelly's website is full of items they obviously bought from other sources, and are re-selling and did not make themselves or have someone else make them for their shop on a contract basis.

[Ulsterman]

ah I see. true. he buys from all over the world, including ...notibly...Austria. he does mix in originals with fakes as well. It is always fun to rummage through his 1 dollar boxes. He does make a goodly number of repros in house, ESP. For resale or films. I like him, as he is witty and is up front about his wares.

Edited April 19, 2013 by Ulsterman