22nd February 2015
Corkscrew Beware - Fakes a plenty
Just looking through completed ebay listings UK to see what
has sold well latey. Saldy as per normal, many of the
corkscrews that have sold well are clear fakes or marriages.
Made to deceive - made to make some easy money.
Very, very sad. :(
The cage type corkscrew in the bottom picture is very crude.
You can see the sharp edges clearly. The worm is another
give away. Also, the strange patina, clearly a product of
patination fluid. Unfortunately, despite this being flagged up on
the Corkscrew Beware Facebook forum, it sold for a gob
smacking £1600! The seller, based in Southall, West London
also sold a Codd type folding bow a couple of weeks earlier for
£1200. Right now, these two pieces are in the top five, highest
priced corkscrews sold on ebay UK. It makes my blood boil!!!!!
Check out the very nice Autumnal fruits Thomason in the top
picture. It looks a great piece. It sold for just £333. The point
being, that some good corkscrews are being sold for well
below past market prices while these scoundrels that fake
corkscrews are making bundles of cash.
As I've said before, we should all be active discussing
fakes/marriages & new being sold as old. We should be
shouting it from the roof tops. If by discussing the issue we can
stop just a few pieces selling then it has been worth it. Too
many people feel, it's not their problem. It's all our problem!
The more we can inform each other, especially new, less
experienced collectors, the better our market place will be. Of
course we will never, ever stamp out all fakes but surely we
can give it our best.
Alas, when I previously attempted to get some websites to link
the Corkscrew Beware site, replies were few & far between,
even from guys that I thought would embrace it. Unfortunately
not everyone seems that concerned.
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One experienced collector who did not want to support Corkscrew Beware by linking his website, said this "Any
serious collector of anything antique knows that fakers abound. By virtue of creating a niche market, collectors
are wittingly or unwittingly, creating an inflated market price structure which others will do their best to exploit -
which often means faking; that is the nature of all antique collecting. If you did not realise that or you cannot cope
with it, then leave the market to others who do and can. You are not endearing yourself to other collectors by
griping about the shortcomings of an established market."
What does that mean? Well, clearly this particular chap didn't feel he wanted to share his knowledge & expertise
with others because we should all just be able to deal with it by ourselves or just get out. Big boys don't cry eh?
His final sentence is quite revealing "You are not endearing yourself to other collectors by griping about the
shortcomings of an established market" My oh my! What a nice chap. Lets not discuss fakes, etc, as it's just
griping about an established market. Oh deary me :(
Anyway, you know my views. Please join the Facebook group. Please also bookmark Corkscrew Beware & please
also, contribute anything about fakes that you think might be helpful to other collectors.
Thanks! :)
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