forgeries

What is a forgery? Simply, it is when an object is offered for sale as being made by the original manufacturer, when in fact it wasn't.

What is a reproduction, or "repro"? It is when an object is offered for sale as being a "look-alike" or identical item to the original.

Stamps, coins, mechanical banks, toys and hundreds of other items have been victims of forgeries. Cannons are no exception.

Sometimes a forgery doesn't start out that way. There is nothing wrong with making antique reproductions. The seller simply needs to state that. However, when a seller knowingly sells an item as being an original, when it is not, this is when the item is called a forgery. If the seller states that it is not an original, then it is a reproduction. There is a fine line in the wording, between the two options and you, the buyer must understand.

So many items change hands in estate sales, garage sales, flea markets and now over on-line auctions. Items are sold and re-sold many times. Their histories / origins vanish. Dealers often end up with items where-by they reassign a new history. No one is the wiser. Buyer beware.

The cannon shown above is a reproduction of an original (click on the images to see larger pictures). About 200 of these were made 25 years ago, not in South East Asia, but in the United States. The original sold for a few thousand dollars. The copies were to have been sold for a few hundred. These are exchanging hands and circulating around the country. Many are now claimed to be originals. How does one tell? It isn't easy. Even museums are fooled. Only real experts know what to look for, and it's hard to describe. When you handle dozens of these over a period of several years, originals have a certain "flavor" and you can easily spot a forgery. Some scrupulous people even go one step further, and "antique" the pieces. This is done by putting acid on them to them to accelerate the oxidation. This gives the barrel a green patina. Rolling a barrel in the mud, letting it dry and brushing it off also "antiques" it.

Click to see larger

This one was located in Germany.

Lyle Gun reproduction

Several of these "beautiful" brass cannons were reputed to have been cast in South East Asia, and are now circulating in other parts of the world. They are solely for decorative purposes and must not be fired. The barrel looks nice on the outside, however it is a thin casting and will not withstand a powder charge. It is very rough on the inside.