con man or not

[nsx20]

A couple of monthe ago I bought an album off ebay got it okay and was pleased with it saw another one for sale by the same person he told me he had bought three together at a militaria show and offered me the third as well which I did not get but today the second one arrived in the mail and I noticed right away that the actual album looked brand new on looking at the photos they mainly appear to be copies then tonight I got to looking on ebay and see half the photos identical to mine are for sale on there singly .These photos have a very high shine to them almost as if there is a coating on the photos and some have indentations in the gloss and fingerprints.I paid $800 usa dollars for this album and am really bummed out ..
.The person I bought off was RUETTEN (his ebay name) the person now selling them is ILVICO (EBAY NAME ) THEY ARE BOTH FROM GERMANY..I notice tonight RUETTEN is not a registered member anymore ..Any help would be so gratefully received ..By the way the photos are of SG77 Squadron if anyone was wondering ...

[Akira Takiguchi]

Dear Kelly,

I hope you will calm yourself down a bit and I would appreciate if you show us the front and back of your "too shiny photos." Being too shiny itself does not make the photos bad. If you see multiple copies around, you know, that's the way photo collecting work. If you buy thousands of photos from one source, there are often many duplicates, especially good photos. Good photos are often multiply printed due to their nature.

I know Mr. Ruetten, though I have bought only once from him. I know that he's a registered member here. I believe that you can communicate with him via email to resolve the "problem." Photo materials are not usually returnable, because some people just scan them after purchase then try to return them to the seller, but if you got something that does not conform to the description, you should be able to return it.

Let's try to clear up the situation in a gentle manner.

[nsx20]

I just all rather odd that the photos that have gone for sale on ebay as soon as I got the album are exactly what I have not a different photo in amongst them in fact almost in the order they are in the album ..I understand that there were lots of the same photos at times but to see just these exact same photos is rather puzzling I maybe could understand if there were a few but to see fifty at once and all the ones I just got nothing else at all it all seems odd to me ..If they were mixed in with others I would maybe but its only the exact ones I got ..The album shows not one sign of wear looks like it could of been bought yesterday whereas the other one I got previously had plenty of wear and it seems to me the photos have been put in very recently ..Even the corner photo stickers in this album look brand new ..I have taken some photos to show you front and back and corner but these are the best my camera will do ..A lot of the photos also have no photo developing marks on the back..Thanks Kelly...

[nsx20]

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[Akira Takiguchi]

OK, your photo is the same as

http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?...tem=3218492739

As you can see, they share exactly same edge pattern (I haven't done precise comparison but they looks so to me). Which means: if your photo is "bad", the one on ebay is also "bad". Someone (<i>not necessarily the two persons you mentioned</i>) MAY have printed a few sets from negatives recently for collectors.

But I do not necessarily think that they are bad, though it is very possible that they are both postwar prints, which detracts value for certain types of collectors.

>I just all rather odd that the photos that have gone for sale on ebay as soon as
>I got the album

This itself is not a bad sign, because when a large lot is split, they often flow through different "routes". In the past, I have experienced this a few times. Of course I always tried to reunite the things

>are exactly what I have not a different photo in amongst them in
>fact almost in the order they are in the album.

This certainly sounds a bit odd... So, my advise is: if you are cannot make yourself satisfied with what you have, try contacting Mr. Ruetten for possible return. If you are satisfied with the photos <i>except for</i> the fact that similar set is being sold on ebay, keep it.

[Alexander Zöller]

Kelly,

I share your concerns not only about the album but also about the photos. If the album looks brand new with no signs of wear it may have been put together from scratch quite recently. Are there any handwritten descriptions or paperwork pasted into the album? One can often tell from the handwriting if they were period applied or not (most post-war jobs just don't look right, although certain sellers now go some lengths to produce authentic-looking albums). About the prints, as Akira said very glossy photos are not suspicious by themselves, however the lack of crispiness and inferior contrast often indicate a repro. The two photos you posted don't exhibit too much detail, are there other photos that are particularly crisp?

It's not unusual for multiple prints to surface over the years, and since these albums were not directly vet-aquired but rather originate from a show it should be hard to trace its origins. I would hazard a guess that these prints are post war copies, as may be the album, they may however have been commissioned by the vet himself, it's not wholly unusual for vets to having their old negatives re-developed for reunions etc.

I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that the entire album is a 'fake', it really depends on how it was represented. I'm positive you can work something out with the seller to resolve the situation.

Cheers,