What are some good resources to learn about detecting fakes/reprints?

[steve B]

Back when I could still smell reliably, there were some smells that were good and some not so good as far as originality goes.

The smell of printing ink - Not good unless the item is rather new.
Mold- Not so good, as has already been covered.

There's a hard to describe "old paper" smell that's usually a good sign. I have a hard time smelling it now, unless I'm in a roomful of old paper. (And since it's a smell of a decomposition product, it's a mixed bag -not bad for original, not all that good for preservation.

Smells that shouldn't be there - Wax, Solvents, etc. usually point to problems. (For paper, I almost bought a bat that was cool, but had been cleaned with lemon pledge. Wasn't a factor in the decision, but it was a bit strange )


We really should have a thread on preservation/conservation. I've read a lot about the formal methods, and constantly have to balance those with the reality of being an average person living in a house from the 1880's.

Steve B