New Blockade Runner...

[Eddie]

There are a few good items there, but I would definitely stay away from his shop.

Thank you Nordmark,some pieces looks very convincing there,fakers get better by the hour now,i am afraid soon no one will be able to tell the difference,if some jewelers can fake imperial items that way far beyond in details than ww2 staff than it only takes them to join this forum and fix easy mistakes that they do this is scary, very scary

regards,

eddie

[JustinG]

Wow,

That fooled me. (not that this is an incredible feat )

Thanks for the heads up.

I must say, even the close ups of the maker mark comparison from my untrained eye seemed to be very similar.

Thanks for the education lesson.

Regards,
2dresq907

[John R.]

Thank you Nordmark,some pieces looks very convincing there,fakers get better by the hour now,i am afraid soon no one will be able to tell the difference,if some jewelers can fake imperial items that way far beyond in details than ww2 staff than it only takes them to join this forum and fix easy mistakes that they do this is scary, very scary

regards,

eddie

This is highly unlikely. The fakers will never IMO get it all right. There are delicate points to the manufacture of all the badges that the fakers will never get right. You just need to train your eye for what to look for. This was not a convincing badge, it was just another fake. You may be right in that some people will not be able to tell the difference. That is because they have not put in the time, nor seem to have the eye, to tell the difference or are new collectors and do not know the pitfalls of this hobby yet.

Mike saw instictively that there was a problem right off the bat. He just did not have time probably to get into it. I did. That was the only difference. Nordmark saw it and posted it. I have done the same with other fakes from time to time also. It is good to keep up with the fakes.

It is better to know what a period example looks like though since there are many fakes but only one authentic example but the fakes being posted serve as a warning to would be collectors to exercise extreme caution before parting with a dime.

My simple side by side is all anyone would have to do in a basic photo program and I recommend that this be done before the purchase of any badge. Hard for a new collector even doing this, I understand that. It helps to have a mentor point out those points that the faker does not seem to notice and I sure am not going to tell them.

This forum has a full database in the threads of period badges front and back so the baseline is there. You need to download those images for the badges you have targeted for your collection.

I have said it often to fellow collectors and maybe once somewhere in the forum. If you are going to collect in this area, you have to be a professional collector or you will be cheated by what are really nothing more than common thieves.

I also worry about the departure of so many of the experienced collectors from this forum over the last 4-5 years. I hope others will develop that eye.

The fakers are getting better in some areas, so are art forgers. Same people, different trade. So it is instructive that when you see the new fakes that they be posted for study.

Thanks for post. John

[John R.]

Yes, my first badge purchase ever was a Cave Creek special out of Arizona of this badge. That fake made me mad but I was mainly mad at myself.

Thanks to this forum and many other collectors over the years, that anger was directed towards the study of this area. So I am not slamming new collectors. They will learn like I did and decide on what course of action to take--either leave the hobby or study it.

For me, the fun is figuring out if a badge is real or not. The actual badge is nice, but the hobby is more than just shelling out money I think. There has to be the enjoyment of research and if that is lacking, you have a problem.

That is why guys like Mike and Rob above did their research all those years ago and now pinned to the top of this forum. It does not give you the eye, but it sure helps. So do the new books on the market, like Gordon Williamson's Torpedo Los and his new KM book covering the other badges besides U-boat soon to be published by Bender.

John

[John R.]

There are a few good items there, but I would definitely stay away from his shop.

And in days gone by, some dealers would fish you in with the good item but you received another item. They would respond by saying the one on their website was "representational" of what you would be getting and true enough, in the details of their website, the disclaimer was there.

Well, this was one step up from the days when there was no image, just a catalog.

I guess you could go into any shop and buy a good piece, but even then, better watch carefully as it is put into the bag.

John

[Martin W]

Thanks to this forum and many other collectors over the years, that anger was directed towards the study of this area. So I am not slamming new collectors. They will learn like I did and decide on what course of action to take--either leave the hobby or study it.

For me, the fun is figuring out if a badge is real or not. The actual badge is nice, but the hobby is more than just shelling out money I think. There has to be the enjoyment of research and if that is lacking, you have a problem.

That is why guys like Mike and Rob above did their research all those years ago and now pinned to the top of this forum. It does not give you the eye, but it sure helps. So do the new books on the market, like Gordon Williamsons Torpedo Los and his new KM book covering the other badges besides U-boat soon to be published by Bender.

John

Very well explained John.

Thankyou,Martin.

[Bruce Simcox]

Hi John......

......As Martin said:

Very well explained John.

I second that! Good to have you aboard John.