Posted By:
Mark SteinbergBarry... Yes, a huge percentage of these bad pieces seem to eminate from Ohio. Somebody there is producing them and distributing them to dealers, flea markets, etc. in the area.
Many of these turn up on Ebay, and have been for what seems like a couple of years now. I know that the counterfeitors have taken images from the Halper catalogue (and other sources), and have skillfully reproduced them using a laser process.
Then they "age" the piece by leaving it outside, soil it, bend/crease it, etc. Some really look authentic over the computer... probably less so, when you see them live.
A few of the more common fakes are as follows...
* "Fan for a Fans" (esp. Cobb and Matty)
* Babe Ruth/Lou Gehrig Broadsides
* Negro League Broadsides
* Lucky Strike Trolley Signs
* Tuxedo Tobacco Displays with Mathewson
* Babe Ruth Ad Signs/Easel Backs (esp. Kaywoodie Tobacco)
* Ty Cobb Easel Backs like this one that inspired Dan's thread, as well as a more common Stall & Dean Glove Standee.
There are many more examples I can't think of right now, in case anyone else want to post a similar "heads-up" warning. The people producing these are scum, and fortunately seem to be realizing much lower prices than when these initially hit the market.