Fakes, etc.

I'll begin populating this page with photos of reproductions, fakes and fantasy items as I see them listed on eBay, Etsy and other such sites. Hopefully, collectors will refer to this page to minimize the occasions reproductions, fakes and fantasy items are unknowingly purchased. If you see something on this page that was sold to you purporting to be a vintage item, immediately send it back for a full refund. 

Antique Germany Paper Pulp Painted Orange Pumpkin JOL Red Nose Pipe Noisemaker

This fantasy item is one of a set of at least 4 that began appearing in the mid-1990s. These are often sold with a truly vintage box, with this ersatz marriage meant to fool the unsuspecting. Don't be one of those. Run, don't walk away from any dealer selling these as anything other than what they are - products made no earlier than 1995.  

Vintage Halloween DOUBLE SIDED Pumpkin Gingerbread Man Candy Container German

There is no record of this design existing prior to the mid-1990s. The seller states that he or she bought it in Ohio in the 1980s, but this recollection is not correct. This uninteresting design was among the crapalanche of reproductions and fakes that began plaguing our hobby in the mid-1990s when manufacturers began to realize the truly vintage German candy containers were bringing strong dollars. There were few references (and no web sites) back then to steer collectors away from such garbage. Don't be fooled!

Vintage Halloween Candle Holder Scary JOL

This is a poorly made fake. Tip-offs include overly large eyes, bright inserts, ridged nose, air-brushed features, bent-metal candle insert rather than a stamped circular form and weird protrusions at the bottom. I haven't seen this particular iteration before, so it just proves that new fakes are being made all the time. Caveat Emptor! 

06/26 Update: I was sorry to see somebody wasted $53 on this POS. 

Antique PAPER MACHE HALLOWEEN PUMPKIN w/PAPER INSERT

Unfortunately, the buyer of this item flushed money down the drain in the belief that this was as described - antique - when it was made in the last 10-15 years. This is one of the styles issued by Jamieson Studios of Canton, Ohio. Their output was and is higher-end, but that can't overcome the fact that this is a decorative item with no vintage Halloween value. (By the way, why would anyone bid on this with such a astronomical shipping cost? I have hefted the one in my folk art collection and it is pretty light-weight!) 

VINTAGE DENNISON HALLOWEEN PUMPKIN HEADS with SLIDING DRAWER BOX

Here is another fake from a seller that has long been on the list of those with whom I do not do business. Curiousimp has been selling fakes for a while, some better rendered than others. Last month, someone contacted me through the site thanking me for highlighting this seller's problematic items. He shared with me the following, which I've lightly edited. "There are a dozen or more Ouija collectors that were victimized. Some boards sold for over $1500 and some as little as $100. Nothing has happened to him. I've talked with the FBI, both attorney generals, local police and others. The only thing anyone can do is sue. He's out of Florida. Even if I win, there's zero chance he'll actually pay. He has been selling fakes for at least 4 years. Not until the hardcore collectors started talking and sharing what they had did it unravel quickly. Curiousimp has been quiet on Ouija board sales but I suspect he's moved on to something else. Before Ouija boards he had and still does reproduce vintage packaging for fireworks. You'll find some fireworks forums that call him out for faking items. Thanks again for helping to get the word out there." 

04/16 Update: I'm glad to see that this travesty brought only $51, although each of those dollars was wasted. 

Vintage Halloween Pumpkin Man Candy Container c1920 Germany MINT

Here is another fantasy item offered by the same seller referenced immediately below. There is no record of this sloppy, unattractive and ill-formed candy container prior to 1995. As that year progressed, this POS began showing up on the holiday lists circulated by people like the late Paul Schofield and by Jenny Tarrant. The only value I can see with this hunk-o-junk is to toss it in the air when conducting a seance to contact Annie Oakley. This is truly one of the worst of the crapalanche that began in 1995 when German "artisans" began making things to fool collectors. 

Antique Beelzebub Krampus Devil candy container / rarity - Germany

This item, like all Halloween items being sold from Germany today, is a fantasy item meaning there is no vintage counterpart. If you scroll through the listings, you'll see this exact devil head being used as part of many items. The Germans have been working hard since ~1995 to flood the US market with these decorative objects in the hope they will fool collectors into thinking they are old. Unfortunately, they have succeeded to a large degree. I visit many collections throughout the US and see too many polluted with these kinds of items. One rule to keep uppermost in your mind as you consider buying things for your collection: if a Halloween item is being sold from Germany, it is merely decorative, not collectible. 

Vintage Halloween Cardboard Black Cat Noise Maker/Rattle

This is a modern fake. The cat's faces have been copied from an authentic item. The dull finish is the hallmark of fakes put out by curiousimp or shadowtown, both long-time suspect dealers on eBay. Other things wrong with it are the overly thick middle section and the brightly colored patterned paper encircling it. Since the references do not show the middle, the faker had to improvise and they got it wrong. The buyer should contact the seller for a refund. 

VINTAGE Halloween GERMAN RATCHET JACK O LANTERN JOL PUMPKIN WOODEN NOISE MAKER

This fantasy item began appearing about 5 years ago. Typically, the JOL face with its overly broad mouth is in perfect condition whereas the ratchet is not. What has been done is the new JOL face has simply been glued or attached to an otherwise forgettable yet vintage ratchet. Married pieces in this ratchet genre are so ubiquitous that it is a genre I completely avoid. There is no vintage counterpart to this face. These have been cranked out (pun intended) indiscriminately and have zero collectible value. 

Rare Vintage Metal Pumpkin Jack O' Latern Spooky Halloween Decoration

This is a recently made fake with faux aging. The seller jarringly and apropos of nothing writes that Mike Wolfe from History's American Pickers loves vintage items. As someone who has provided an on-camera appraisal of a truly vintage Halloween item for that program, I am confident in saying that Mike Wolfe would pass on this item. 

This bug-eyed JOL with its protruding tongue is a memorable design and would probably make a strong display presence, but it is not a vintage item. This began appearing about 10 years ago and has decorative value only. The thick bale is inconsistent with truly vintage items as are the over-sized clasps securing the candle holder to the bottom cardboard piece. Don't be fooled!