Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums Online Auctions, eBay Craigslist Petroliana Should we just give up on stupid? Sinclair Sign 42

Over the last year it has really gotten to me just HOW MANY fresh and new fakes are coming out of India. Never mind the common 12" pump plates that these dirtbags buy for 15.00 and sell for hundreds after beating them up. I used to use collector's weekly to glance at all the cool stuff online at any particular time. Now if you bring up petroliana all you see are hundreds of listings and page after page of *****. Now this is nothing new and yes its been talked about on here plenty. I have done my fair share of helping people online, over the phone etc. and boy have I reported plenty on Ebay. I appreciate all that have and continue to do the same. HOWEVER, is it time to just give up on the stupid? This auction is a perfect example.. 272199737378.

Now please lets assume not everyone is online savy. We should all realize this. Not all the new and old collectors out there are on Facebook groups and great sites like this one to be able to learn. BUT...you don't have to be a sign expert, you dont have to be a petroliana king, you surely don't have to even be smart per say...BUT before you spend 3K plus on anything. Take a glance over at the seller's 92% feedback rating where it clearly has 2 buyers in the last 30 days WARNING others about fakes and even a 42" warning! My Dad was a funny bastard...one of his favorite lines was...You can't fix stupid. Sorry for the rant.

Unfortunately the tremendous influx of reproduction signs being sold as real, excuse me, vintage, rare, pawnshop treasure put away for decades,you name it, is eventual going to kill, IMO, the sign portion of this hobby. It may take a while but there will be a time when the number of collectors will be relegated to purchasing signs from each other. Heck, apart from finding them in the wild, that's the only way I would do it now.

When I first started collecting 25 years ago I would purchase a sign now and then, but only from other fellow and well known collectors. I eventual stop collecting signs, first because it got so darn expensive then because of all the garbage being offered as real. Where there is money there are always dishonest people.

I still continue to report fakes but certainly not as often as I first did. We clearly are reaching a point were an education into what is real and was is not is getting more expensive and extremely time consuming. My passion is gas pumps and so far you can spot a reproduction a mile away, certain display pumps excluded.

All this doesn't mean I'm going to stop reporting fakes and I think everyone else should do the same. We may not be able to stop it but I sure get pleasure out of making the scum work a little harder for their money.

Please forgive me for adding a rant to your rant.

Wow!!!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/272199737378

Bidders from:

1-the States?
2-India?

Yes totally agree it affects out hobby! But this has been going on for years in other collectable and luxury items. Fake Rolex Watches, Gucci handbags, Fake antique furniture, Pirated music CD's & Major Motion pictures.
How do you stop it? Unfortunately you can not, only slow the stem and educate collectors & report sellers, who sell these items as the real thing.
In Petroliana as an example, when you see a Red Indian road sign now listed at a swap meet or on the internet, chances are it is fake. Most collectors would never find an original to buy, so these sellers know the market and are supplying these collectors with what they want. It's called supply & demand. They supply the demand and make big money in the process. Its the capitalist way. $$$
It is wrong though, when the item is misrepresented as the real thing, (by using artificial patina or provenience) and then sold to unsuspecting collectors.