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bradsimpson · 07-13-2002, 01:43 AM

Heydrich,
Thank you for the response. Fakes are an issue in every field of collecting. I have written a couple of books about pool cues (yes the right ones can sell for $100K+). As soon as the prices of the old cues escalated above what they could be reproduced for, fakes started to appear.

I would like to see a forensic means of authenticating collectibles. I can spot fake Lugers & fake cues, but why should anyone trust me or anyone else for that matter? Buyers need a means of authenticating items without having to rely on trusting the sellers. There has to be a scientific way of telling whether something was done 100 years ago or yesterday.

There are forensic ways to tell if stamps/numbers/proofs have been removed. There are plenty of fake Lugers, 98's, .45's, S.A.A's, etc. out there that can be identified with scientific testing. You would think that someone would have gone to jail for fraud by now. But I don't know of anyone who has.

Collectors who get burned are usually too embarrassed to do anything. They should be able to alert as many people as they can. And there needs to be legal action against the fakers.

I hope this forum can help educate new collectors about the danger of fakes. The more people know, the less likely they will become victims. Knowledge is power.

07-13-2002, 01:43 AM	#15
bradsimpson User Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Galesburg, IL Posts: 135 Thanks: 0 Thanked 17 Times in 9 Posts	Heydrich, Thank you for the response. Fakes are an issue in every field of collecting. I have written a couple of books about pool cues (yes the right ones can sell for $100K+). As soon as the prices of the old cues escalated above what they could be reproduced for, fakes started to appear. I would like to see a forensic means of authenticating collectibles. I can spot fake Lugers & fake cues, but why should anyone trust me or anyone else for that matter? Buyers need a means of authenticating items without having to rely on trusting the sellers. There has to be a scientific way of telling whether something was done 100 years ago or yesterday. There are forensic ways to tell if stamps/numbers/proofs have been removed. There are plenty of fake Lugers, 98's, .45's, S.A.A's, etc. out there that can be identified with scientific testing. You would think that someone would have gone to jail for fraud by now. But I don't know of anyone who has. Collectors who get burned are usually too embarrassed to do anything. They should be able to alert as many people as they can. And there needs to be legal action against the fakers. I hope this forum can help educate new collectors about the danger of fakes. The more people know, the less likely they will become victims. Knowledge is power.