In all areas of collecting, from movie memorabilia to oil
paintings, something is authentic if its true identity is described
accurately and sincerely.
If you pay good money for an original 1930 Greta Garbo photograph
by the famous Hollywood photographer George Hurrell, you expect
to receive an original 1930 Greta Garbo photo by George Hurrell.
You dont expect a 1970 reprint or a photo by an unknown photographer.
An item does not have to be rare or expensive or old to be
authentic. It just has to be accurately and sincerely described.
A cheapo 2003 reprint can be authentic if described as a cheapo
2003 reprint.
Errors in the description of an item are considered significant
when they significantly affect the financial value or reasonable
non-financial expectations of the buyer. An example of the reasonable
non-financial expectations would involve a collector who specializes
in real photo post cards of her home state of Iowa and makes
it crystal clear to the seller that she only wants postcards
depicting Iowa. Even if there is no financial issue, she would
have reason to be disappointed if the purchased postcard turned
out to show Oklahoma or Minnesota.
Many errors in description are minor and have little to no
material effect. If that 1930 Greta Garbo photo turns out to
be from 1934, it may not effect the financial value or desirability
to the purchaser.
Common terms:
Counterfeit: a reprint or reproduction that is made
to order fool others into believing it is original.
Forgery: an item that was made to fool others into
believing it is something it is not. This includes counterfeits,
but also made up items, like a newly discovered Rembrandt painting.
Fake: an item that is seriously misidentified. This
includes forgeries and counterfeits. It also includes items that
are innocently misidentified by collectors or sellers who are
uninformed.
When in doubt about seller or makers intent, its best to call
a bad sale or auction item a fake instead of a forgery or counterfeit.
All three words mean an item is not genuine, but forgery and
counterfeit implies intentional illegality.
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