Nice, very informative video on what to look for regarding fake, "vintage" porcelain-enamel signs. Thanks for sharing! If I see a nice, "old" sign for sale on eBay, I always check to see what else that eBay seller has up for bid. If the seller has a fair number of other signs that simply are "too good to be true," I figure all the signs the seller's trying to auction as originals are indeed fakes. I met a person at the annual vintage car auction at Auburn, IN some years ago who had what appeared to be a genuine, round, porcelain-enamel, Sinclair Aviation gas sign for sale (with the monoplane in the center). It was big (about a 5 ft diameter) and it had a price tag of about $6000.00. But the seller admitted it was from India and he bought it from someone in the U.S. thinking it was the real thing. He himself discovered it was a good fake when he measured the actual dimensions (the real one had a somewhat larger diameter). Anyway, he told me an original in much worse shape would sell for at least ten "Gs" (his sign was aged to make it look old with chips and minor rust spots). He told me his six grand price was a bargain for someone who wanted the sign in good condition but didn't want to pay the price for an original. Needless to say, I took a pass after his "sales pitch."

@bearhardcorepicker

8 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing your experience! And thanks for watching!

I searched for how to identify fake signs, and your channel came up first in the results! actually 2 videos. Hey! I know that guy! I'm a subscriber. Great to see you at the top of the search results. Great video very helpful.

@bearhardcorepicker

4 ай бұрын

Thanks Chris!

I used to buy and sell enamel signs here in UK 10 years ago.. today I’d say 75% of signs at auction are modern repros and intentional fakes 😂

@bearhardcorepicker

Ай бұрын

It's slowly increasing here as well....depends on the auctioneer, though...most auctioneers are being forthright and pointing out upfront the stuff is fake, but there are a few who turn a blind eye to the fact they are consigning fakes and still sell them as old and with a "its auction so its buyer beware, as is, where is" attitude.

Well if it’s the woman holding the sign on eBay in Illinois it’s fake . And the price . Who sells a $2,000 sign for $300 it’s fake . You can tell the real always can .

It takes years in life to no what your doing original enamel signs made from pig iron they run out about 1928 and switched to steel it's all in the weight and size the smaller signs are mostly repro I've been collecting 50 years you can't always go on back good luck !!!!

I came here looking for examples of fake and authentic. I underatand where the fakes are made and how they can be made. I'm looking for how thebauthentic are made. What actually is a porcelain sign?

@bearhardcorepicker

Жыл бұрын

The old pieces were made very much in the way the new pieces are, which is why they are getting difficult to tell apart. There isn't really a tried and true single way to differentiate all fakes from the real, old versions of the signs. Some "fakes" could technically be called fantasy signs; those that never existed as old signs. They are also passed of as old, original signs. The best that I can do is to show the fake stuff and some of the ways to assess them, and give some of the ways on how they may differ from the old originals. Some repros/fake signs have been made as far back as the 60s, and by so many different companies (and individuals) that their origins are getting obscured by time. The main scourge, though, is from companies as the one of my other videos details, those in China, India, etc. I'd offer some comparisons if I still had my advertising collection, but it was sold some time ago. As I acquire older pieces, I will likely do some other videos on how the older stuff ages, looks, methods of manufacture, etc.

Cast iron signs and brass plaques tons of fakes.

@bearhardcorepicker

Жыл бұрын

Yeah, they have been plaguing the industry even longer than enamel fakes.

@johnpatrick3458

Жыл бұрын

I got over 100 of brass and cast iron nameplates that are 100% authentic from furnaces and boilers that were made in the 20's, 30's, 40's, etc. I used to install furnaces and boilers about 20 years ago and would keep the nameplates from the older one's we took out because I thought they looked cool. Never thought they'd be worth a small fortune back then.

People aren't always being duped. Some of us merely like the aesthetic appeal for their man-cave.

@bearhardcorepicker

Жыл бұрын

I realize that. But, the problem I have is that much of what is being represented is being sold as old when it is not. eBay is now easily 80% fakes, and most of that 80% is being touted as old when it is fresh out of the factories. And by fakes, I mean those that are unauthorized by the companies that the logos are from. Reproductions are those that are legitimate and authorized by the original firms, or if the firm is obsolete, they are clearly marked as being made by a reproduction producing company. The ones coming out of India and other countries are being marked not with the current manufacturer's name, but with the original maker's factory names, which is fraudulent activity, as it is being done to exclusively to deceive buyers in the marketplace.

Right. Fake ones 20% of a original i think 99% people know

@bearhardcorepicker

Жыл бұрын

I doubt 99% know what they are actually buying is fake. Probably more like 25%. It is all too common to see posts on sites like FB by new collectors and by veterans alike who have gotten stung buying something that turns out to be fake.

I dont like ebay my friend

@bearhardcorepicker

Жыл бұрын

Me either.