David or Richard. Who do you side with?

[mr2686]

Fair enough Richard, and you shouldn't be held to a higher standard than the rest of us...because none of us are perfect. But what I'm getting at in the bigger picture of things is...if a new forger comes along, he must still have some "tells' that don't match legit Mantle sigs. Let's face it, if they fooled you, even for a few years, then what hope do the rest of us have? Are some of these guys so good that the only way to know is when they get caught and then can compare their stuff to items already in the marketplace? Again, I'm just trying to understand and not trying to say anything bad about you Richard. Heck, I've purchased from you since the late 80's and have had you authenticate things as well (saved me some cash on a few things that went back to a dealer).

[Mr. Zipper]

Originally Posted by mr2686

Fair enough Richard, and you shouldn't be held to a higher standard than the rest of us...because none of us are perfect. But what I'm getting at in the bigger picture of things is...if a new forger comes along, he must still have some "tells' that don't match legit Mantle sigs. Let's face it, if they fooled you, even for a few years, then what hope do the rest of us have? Are some of these guys so good that the only way to know is when they get caught and then can compare their stuff to items already in the marketplace? Again, I'm just trying to understand and not trying to say anything bad about you Richard. Heck, I've purchased from you since the late 80's and have had you authenticate things as well (saved me some cash on a few things that went back to a dealer).

I can't speak to these specific items, but I do have some experience uncovering forgery styles (from other areas of collecting.)

Very often, some forgeries are "close enough" that they may appear to be slightly atypical, but okay.

It is through establishing a pattern over time that they are identified as fakes. For instance, you see the same **slightly off* signature coming consistently from a particular source. Or suddenly, 7 years after Mantle's death, the quantity of a **slightly off** style appears to be increasing in the market.

So the first ones through the chute can fool even experienced authenticators and collectors. However, the forgers usually get greedy and when the forgery style appears in volume, people start catching on.