Was it Real?

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Posted By: Mark

Well... the seller got a pretty good price for this piece, especially considering all of the fake ad signs floating around on ebay. If it's real, it's worth $8 - $10K in REA or Hunts. If fake, it's worth about $15.

I emailed the seller, who said it came from an estate sale (along with some other signs) in Indiana. This is rather close to Ohio, where a slew of the repros have originated. The seller also said "If you are not comfortable with this piece, please do not bid."

Most of the original ad signs from the 1920s have colored graphics... seems a bit odd that this one is B&W. Even though I was tempted by this (admittedly cool-looking) piece, I refrained from bidding. I hope my better judgement prevailed.

Any thoughts as to whether this one could possibly be authentic? The bogus "Fan for a Fans" and Broadsides are obvious fakes, but I am wondering if there were any concrete "tell-tale" signs with this Cobb piece (other than using one's judgement and common sense).

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&it em=370172436866

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Posted By: Brock G.

I'd say worth about $15. Just has that same look as all the other fakes. The aging looks contrived and color looks bad.

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

I vote fake. IMO the "toning" from where the easel rested against the back just screams fake.

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Posted By: Mike H

Fake, fake, fake

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Posted By: sporteq

fake toning and wrong easel .. bummer!

aL

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Posted By: Rhys

I think Ohio is still considered "Midwest". As soon as I saw this auction I looked for the location to see if it was coming from Ohio. These guys are getting smarter for not putting the state down but it is still pretty transparant.

It is fake adn there have been maybe 10-20 of this exact sign on ebay over the last few years. All fake.

Rhys

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Posted By: Joseph

Perhaps one of the five who thought enough of this piece to enter a snipe bid of more than several hundred bucks is a reader of this forum. (By the way, I don't think any of the five--except maybe the high bidder--knew for sure this was "real"...hence, the lowball-ish bids).

There are some auctions that SHOULD be outed and this was one of them. If this piece were part of a catalog auction we'd be all over it. What's so special about eBay that discussion about items for sale happens only after the fact? eBay sellers shouldn't get good money for their stuff? Like it's a big secret? Like YOU only found it. More than a dozen suckers bit this one...and if one of them IS a reader of this board they could have been better served.

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

Joseph, I think it comes down to the sheer amount of this kind of crap on ebay and the fact that we've gone over these types of items a lot. I think people get tired of talking about it.

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Posted By: Mark

Good point by Joseph, though...

Since I came into this forum late (about a year ago), I really don't know all the rules. Are there formal rules against "outing" auctions? I have read numerous posts which state that it's a no-no, and hence, have assumed it should not be done. Others have apologized for doing so. Really, what is the actual harm?

In retrospect, it would have been better to "out" this one early-on. On the card side, I have seen many reprints and fakes exposed while the auctions are still alive. Isn't that ok here as well?

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Posted By: Joseph

My point is: if the poster knew about this auction prior to ending and wasn't sure about the item's authenticity, this forum could have been a good environment for discussion. It works when an item is good, too! A few days ago--deathly afraid of outing an auction--I posted about an eBay sighting of a Joseph Hall cabinet card on this forum's auction section of the buy/sell. One person commented. Five days later--after the auction was ended prematurely--a wonderful discussion about the card commenced on the board. This could have happened while the auction was live and maybe, just maybe, the seller might have let things run their course rather than panicking after dozens of e-mails from potential suitors.

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Posted By: Max Weder

Mark

One of the things that is somewhat irksome on the card side is the "unwritten rule" about outing auctions. If there is to be a rule, it should be written, so that all can understand. If it's unwritten, how are we supposed to know when it's acceptable, and when it's not?

On the memorabilia side, I don't think anyone is particular about bringing an auction to our attention, whether it's to question its authenticity, or just because it's a cool item that several board members would be interested in.

Now if I could just afford Barry's auction of the volume of American Chronicle

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Posted By: Mike H

I usually don't take the time to out the questionable pieces, or simply don't pay attention to them. If someone questions a piece on the forum, then we should give our oppinions.

I am not in support of of posting "Wow...did you see this amazing piece?"

We are all adults here. If someone is going after something and posts questions regarding that piece, we should not give them a hard time about outing the auction. We may bid against them, and we may feel some frustration, but they should feel safe here.

If losing an auction is the worst thing that happens to you that particular day...knock on wood.

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Posted By: Matt

Just to clarify - there is no rule - written or otherwise - on the card side about "outing" an ongoing auction. While there is a small minority that don't like it, there are many cases where it is warranted. Especially in circumstances where something is of questionable authenticity, I would suggest it is encouraged.

My Trade/Sale Page

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Posted By: barrysloate

Hi Max- at this stage it is floundering. There better be some snipers out there in the end.

With regard to outing an auction, if you feel with near certainty an item is a fake, it's good to warn others and you should out it. But if you see something great in an obscure place, you are going to get people angry if you make it public.

A little common sense would supersede any rule. Besides, people will not follow rules anyway, so why bother having them? There are always new posters who won't take the time to read them.

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Posted By: leon

Matt's post right above this one nails it on the head.....

I fully ENCOURAGE outing auctions that are fraudulent or miss listed AND not good auctions. I think most board members would be appreciative of that too.

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Posted By: Max Weder

I'd be interested in seeing the card side reaction when a person honestly questions the legitimacy of a clearly legitimate card that is misdescribed and miscatergorized. I suspect there would be a number of posters who would respond, citing the "unwritten rule" and admonishing the poster for outing such an uaction.

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Posted By: leon

That's called having your ducks in a row before outing....If not then I agree with you.

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Posted By: Matt

Certainly knowing something is a fake and posting to warn others is one reason; I'd suggest that if someone who doesn't know honestly comes to ask whether something is good or not, that is also an acceptable usage of the forum.

My Trade/Sale Page

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Posted By: dstudeba

But does it make sense? If I find a hidden item that I am not sure on the legitimacy of, the last thing I am going to do is post it on the board. I spend time researching it and then make a decision if it is good or not. I know that if I post it on the board, I will have no chance of winning the item. If it happens to be good someone who knows and collects these items will outbid me.

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Posted By: davidcycleback

I agree with Matt. There are some who vocally dislike the outing of a live eBay auction, but there's no rule for or against. Just expect some flack if you do it.