mmahany
10-22-2012, 11:32 AM
I apologize for making this the first post on here. Given the possibility of its value, I hope people understand my excitement.
Background: I purchased a Babe Ruth Doorstop from an older gentleman last Friday. His mother (who died 20+ years ago and was born in the late 1800s) owned the doorstop. He could confirm that he knew for a fact that the doorstop had been in his mother's house for at least 50 years and assumed longer than that.
With that said, I did a bit of research on it, looked at the ebay fakes and ended up taking a chance on it.
Now, I'm still assuming that it is a fake, so you won't hurt my feelings by confirming it is fake. However, here is my reason to believe why it may be authentic (or at least an exceptional fake).
1.) The face on mine looks like the authentic versions I've seen sell in auctions. I included a picture to compare. In the ebay fakes, the face is more doll like and in many cases, doesn't look like Babe Ruth. If you'll note, on the real copies, Babe has almost almost a sad look. In the replicas, the face is happier and the features are more animated.
2.) The shading on the base of mine is like the authentic versions. On the base, the "greyish" area is much larger on the replicas and generally exactly the same on all the fakes I have seen
3.) There are hand made grind marks all the way around it. It looks as if they ground down the casting marks to smooth the edges when it was created. I tried to include a picture of what I mean.
Why I believe it isn't authentic:
1.) It is in phenomenal condition. The ones I saw that went to auction were in very poor shape. The statue was kept inside which should have detered a great deal of the rust, but it's still in very very good shape.
2.) There are no markings or stamps on it. As an amateur antique broker, I know that many high end items have some sort of stamp, serial number, or marking.
In short:
It is in excellent condition which leads me to believe it is not authentic. I can confirm with near certainty that it is at least 50 years old. My personal opinion is that it is an exceptional fake with a 1-2% chance that it is authentic.
My questions:
1.) Can anyone confirm what to look for on it such as a hidden signature?
2.) Can anyone comment on the pictures or add input?
3.) If it can't be confirmed that is indeed a replica, who would I go to to have it authenticated.
Thank you in advance
Here are the pictures:
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b186/mmahany/2012-10-19165809.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b186/mmahany/2012-10-19165646.jpg
Grind marks:
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b186/mmahany/2012-10-19165748.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b186/mmahany/2012-10-19165736.jpg
Bottom:
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b186/mmahany/2012-10-19165759.jpg
Back:
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b186/mmahany/2012-10-19165712.jpg
Comparison of the faces:
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b186/mmahany/BabeRuthFaceComparison.jpg
Background: I purchased a Babe Ruth Doorstop from an older gentleman last Friday. His mother (who died 20+ years ago and was born in the late 1800s) owned the doorstop. He could confirm that he knew for a fact that the doorstop had been in his mother's house for at least 50 years and assumed longer than that.
With that said, I did a bit of research on it, looked at the ebay fakes and ended up taking a chance on it.
Now, I'm still assuming that it is a fake, so you won't hurt my feelings by confirming it is fake. However, here is my reason to believe why it may be authentic (or at least an exceptional fake).
1.) The face on mine looks like the authentic versions I've seen sell in auctions. I included a picture to compare. In the ebay fakes, the face is more doll like and in many cases, doesn't look like Babe Ruth. If you'll note, on the real copies, Babe has almost almost a sad look. In the replicas, the face is happier and the features are more animated.
2.) The shading on the base of mine is like the authentic versions. On the base, the "greyish" area is much larger on the replicas and generally exactly the same on all the fakes I have seen
3.) There are hand made grind marks all the way around it. It looks as if they ground down the casting marks to smooth the edges when it was created. I tried to include a picture of what I mean.
Why I believe it isn't authentic:
1.) It is in phenomenal condition. The ones I saw that went to auction were in very poor shape. The statue was kept inside which should have detered a great deal of the rust, but it's still in very very good shape.
2.) There are no markings or stamps on it. As an amateur antique broker, I know that many high end items have some sort of stamp, serial number, or marking.
In short:
It is in excellent condition which leads me to believe it is not authentic. I can confirm with near certainty that it is at least 50 years old. My personal opinion is that it is an exceptional fake with a 1-2% chance that it is authentic.
My questions:
1.) Can anyone confirm what to look for on it such as a hidden signature?
2.) Can anyone comment on the pictures or add input?
3.) If it can't be confirmed that is indeed a replica, who would I go to to have it authenticated.
Thank you in advance
Here are the pictures:
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b186/mmahany/2012-10-19165809.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b186/mmahany/2012-10-19165646.jpg
Grind marks:
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b186/mmahany/2012-10-19165748.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b186/mmahany/2012-10-19165736.jpg
Bottom:
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b186/mmahany/2012-10-19165759.jpg
Back:
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b186/mmahany/2012-10-19165712.jpg
Comparison of the faces:
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b186/mmahany/BabeRuthFaceComparison.jpg