This is a shame. I was going to leave this one alone but experience, or lack of it, has burned me in the past. I've talked to many a collector who has made a mistake in the learning process and learned from it. Real is real and fake is fake. It's when the 2 become faded into one another that the problems begin. I've always thought that if there is nothing to hide, then the maker of something not original should have no issue in some kind of marking system. If for nothing else, pride in one's own work. I work with wood in my spare time and always mark something I've made for future generations to see. Who knows, maybe something I've made will be worth something in a 1000 years. There have been times in collecting forms that reproductions have become in themselves sought after collectables. Markings only insure that down the road new generations don't have to repeat our hard learned mistakes and your work can be identified and appreciated in it's own right. I've seen many a fantasy or reprodustion lense made and sold through this site made in limited runs that I wouldn't be surprised to collectors paying real money for down the road just for the workmanship and numbers. I'm sure I'll regret this post later, but this tends to be a sore spot with me in a hobby that I enjoy and wish to see stay healthy from responsible actions........only my humblest of opinions........Dave
[This message has been edited by lordparaffin (edited 10-04-2008).]
