Iron Cross Second Class new fake-generation

[Steinar]

oh, by the way, aren't L/18 a somewhat rare cross?
It sure smells if L/18 will be around as much as the 65 or 100...

or perhaps someone will say "I found this case of mint L/1s8 in Germany, in this old factory.."

if this cross will be a major problem, maybe moderators should make this thread pinned?

[grueni1208]

Are these fake L/18s brand new? (I haven't read the intire thread yet )

Have any of you seen this fake in other conditions, like rusty, with patina, paint loss etc... ?

I know this fake version since 2 month.
AndiK and I found the IC II on a website by a german dealer. I informed the dealer and he sent me the Cross to examination.

Regards

Grueni

[Robert P.]

Fabulous work, Grueni! Your study is a great work. Thank you for preparing us to detect the fake L/18, and others coming...

Robert

[WEISNER]

Thanks for your hard work and the heads up Grueni!!!!! Thanks to you the lucky members here will keep their money in the pocket instead of spending it on decent looking junk!
I agree with xerox, that this thread should for sure be pinned as a public service!
Kevin

[GELIS44]

Nice work!! I enjoyed reading thru this thread!! I am worried!! Do we know of any other maker marks being used?

[TRAVLRSEASIA]

Grueni;

A most excellent and informative thread. The problem is that the level of research and tedious comparisons with which you have engaged is definitely NOT what many new people entering the hobby will perform. Sadly, many bad dealers know this and I am convinced these fakes are only the tip of the iceberg; especially with the increasing demand for TR era pieces coming from new buyers and dealers in Russia and China.

[Robert P.]

Grueni;

A most excellent and informative thread. The problem is that the level of research and tedious comparisons with which you have engaged is definitely NOT what many new people entering the hobby will perform. Sadly, many bad dealers know this and I am convinced these fakes are only the tip of the iceberg; especially with the increasing demand for TR era pieces coming from new buyers and dealers in Russia and China.

So it becomes our collective responsibility to perform this research and tedious study of what we know to be original in order to maintain stability in our hobby. Knowing full well what we possess automatically creates our defense. Fakes are going to keep coming at an alarming rate because there is money to be made. I've often said this - collectively, we are a team of elite collectors. We're only as strong as our knowledge of our hobby. Grueni and others in our ranks are a credit to this forum, posting their findings for all to see and learn from. When something 'new' comes into our 'arena' we need to stay united to weigh it out and see if it falls into what we know to be original. I think we are accomplishing this. And, I think if the new members stay flexible, they too will become strong over time, learning from the others in the team.

Robert

[TRAVLRSEASIA]

L/18 Fakes

Robert;

I could not agree more with your comments in response to my post. I hope you and Grueni did not take my comments as a criticism as they were not made with that intention. I am convinced however, we will not be able to educate enough people sadly as I have seen some of the growing fakes coming from Pakistan and the east..

[grueni1208]

Do we know of any other maker marks being used?

At the moment I only know the L/18 version, but I think it's possible that another maker marks were used, too.

Regards

Grueni

[Robert P.]

Robert;

I could not agree more with your comments in response to my post. I hope you and Grueni did not take my comments as a criticism as they were not made with that intention. I am convinced however, we will not be able to educate enough people sadly as I have seen some of the growing fakes coming from Pakistan and the east..

No, I didn't take it as criticism. Please post some of the fakes that you've seen if you have photos and if you think they're close to original pieces. I've got three discs of fakes from Poland also, but none that pose any real threat.

Robert

[Steinar]

I wonder why the faker use L/18, and not the most common makers..

This reason might be of course that the L/18 is probably more rare, (can't say I have heard a lot about L/18, so I call it rare) and buyers will be able to get more money for each example...


thanks Grueni for your work. Well done

[grueni1208]

This reason might be of course that the L/18 is probably more rare, (can't say I have heard a lot about L/18, so I call it rare) and buyers will be able to get more money for each example...

- rare maker => more money
- rare maker => no chance to compare



Regards

Grueni

[Douglas 5]

The re-newed fake ;

Well done prensentation : thanks Grueni and Andik :
Why L/18:
The comparison factor is the main reason , to use a less common EK marking .
They can charge more and catch the newer collectors .
And without real good pictures one cannot catch these fine differences .
Very few sellers post closeups . Ask for them .
And looking at this new fake ... the frosting is 100% flawless , for me "Over flawless" , a warning to me to inspect closely , .... even if unissed some handling and discoloration will always be present, like rubbing on the high (spots of the beading) due to moving around over the last 60 years .( The 'Hords' are exceptions) .
We want to help the collecting community , success is only short lived , .... what we find >>>> tells them what to refine !
As Robert mentioned , most fakes are easy to pick out .
Some fakes now are really good , see what I have .

Cheers , Douglas

[streptile]

Bumping this up, as I came across it in my search through the forum for known fakes.

This one is indeed terrifying. The L/18 stamp looks like an original one. Yikes!

I am beginning to understand why many EK collectors stick to buying marked examples that can be compared to known originals from the maker.

[LarryHW.]

EK1's

Questions for all...


Do you think it will be harder to fake the EK1's? Will the pin set up make it a bigger challenge?

Weren't high quality fakes inevitable, with the price of many (most?) EK2's now over $100 and the prices on EK1's usually now over $225 and showing no sign of dropping?

How long before its DKIG's and DKIS's?