This Loco is an example of a Replica as it mimics the
original version but makes no attempt to deceive.
With such a large quantity of
Railwayana in circulation there are certain to be many replicas,
fakes and forgeries doing the rounds. I see the 3 categories as:-
An item made to be as close a copy of
an original as possible but not produced to deceive and generally
marked in some way to show that it is not the original. Many people
have these made as they cannot afford the real thing, for example you
can get a superb enamelled fully flanged totem made for about £300
when the real thing could cost £5000. These items are generally easy
to spot due to their lack of wear. When purchasing Railwayana the
back is generally more revealing than the front and you should never
buy any Railwayana hardware without looking at the back. If the
front looks new and the rear has been painted you may be moving into
the realm of forgery. A variety of manufacturers produced many Worksplates
to order with the most famous being a brass North British Railway "1947 No
26094" which turns up on a very regular basis. Smokebox Numberplates are
relatively easy to make
and many copies
have been produced – often by preserved Railways. When buying this
sort of item provenance is a great help and so is nice ex loco
condition.
An item made to look as if it has
railway connections but in fact not being a copy of a real relic.
The most common of these is the GWR candle lamp. You see them
everywhere and they have a brass plate “GWR” prominently on them. They
are however a flimsy copy of an item that never existed and are
practically worthless. Another common one is a small brass plate
Great Western Railway giving instructions about greasing nipples and
another brass plate from the LMS dated 1865! Re the use of water
closets.
Hint -
Is an item durable enough to have been for Railway
use and would the Railways have needed such an item?
An item made to deceive – this may
start out as a replica and then be worked on to give it age or it may
be deliberately made in order to deceive. In either case these items
can be more difficult to spot. These often appear on the market at a
price that is too good to be true so beware of something that seems
a bargain unless you have good provenance. The most common items
that are forged are Shedplates. These are inexpensive to make and
with rare ones making four figure sums there is a temptation to
deceive for a good profit. There are ways to recognise a forgery but
I will not give them here as it would help the criminals who are
producing them. If you have any doubts as to one you have been
offered you can send in a picture of the front and back to [email protected]and I
will give you my opinion. The vendors often say they know nothing of
Railwayana but it was in their granddads shed wrapped in old
newspaper! If buying from Ebay be especially careful as you cannot
examine the plate before you pay for it.
If you buy from a reputable source
such as the main Auctions you
are usually safe as specialist Railwayana Auction houses generally have a good
knowledge of the subject. You also have an easy way to get your
money back if not satisfied.
Hint -
Be prepared to seek advice from experienced
collectors.
FORGERIES IN AUCTIONS
The Specialist Railwayana
auctions vet all items carefully and do their best to ensure that
relics are genuine. Many records are kept and these can be referred to
when an item is offered. After the auction you have 7-14 days to return
your purchase if you have strong evidence of forgery. The non
specialist auctions will generally enter any item offered to them
and
leave it up to the buyer to decide if an item is right so buyer
beware. On ebay there are many genuine items but also many sold to
deceive as the seller can describe his Railwayana however he wishes
and there are no checks. I can warn you from experience that if you
are sold something that turns out to be a fake if you have paid the
seller and he refuses to deal with you there will be no assistance
available and your only comeback would be a costly legal action
brought by you personally against the vendor. If you have a good
item to sell you would be best advised to use the Specialist
auctions as the price on ebay is generally lower to allow for the
risk factor. Many items you see purchased on ebay later turn up at
Specialist auctions and go for a higher price.
Hint –
Buy from specialist auctions if you are not an
experienced collector.
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