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Old 01-04-2009, 12:11 PM
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Default Forgery Help Needed

Posted By: davidcycleback

If I am thinking of the same person, the Ohio flea market guy made cheapo computer reprints. They weren't professional productions. Due to home computer capabilities, my guess is that he didn't produce anything larger than 8"x11." He also didn't flood the market with hundreds of one reprint, but made a few to sell to the unsuspecting locals. Duly note that Ohio is a big state, and someone being an Ohioan doesn't much by itself. I've had numerous successful eBay sales involving Ohio buyers and sellers.

For display items, like labels and posters and signs, the reprints-- whether professional or via home computers-- are often different size than the known originals. If the original sign was 20x14, the known mass reprints littering eBay are 11x14 and yours is 11x14, that would suggest yours is a reprint. Even home computer printers printing smaller things, like tobacco labels, often create a different size. Their flea market and eBay newbie customers have no idea what the genuine size is, so exact sizing isn't a concern.

In the fine art print world-- ala John James Audubon and Renoir-- one of the first things you check on is the size, as the originals have to match of with known original sizes. If a print is the correct size that of course doesn't mean it is genuine-- a reprint can be made in the same size. But if the size if different than it's supposed to be, it's probably a reprint or fake. And as the original printing plate was eternally one size, the graphics part of the original prints (the image) is constant-- even if bigger or smaller paper was used. Albrecht Durer didn't have a zoom in and crop or 'fit to paper size' function on his printing press.

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