1920's REACH Baseball 2-Sided Sign
 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1920s-REACH-...vip=true&rt=nc


Anyone know if this was an original vintage sign, or a more modern reproduction?

From 2 previous examples at auction it doesn't look the same as those, maybe the paint or something. The seller sells a lot of signs, so that's always a plus but quite a few have those "bullet marks or whatever they are" all over them, not sure if real or added to make it look older.

I'm just guessing so if anyone has more knowledge or opinion please jump in. Could be fine for all I know.

http://natedsanders.com/rare_1909_do...-lot32655.aspx

http://www.sportsantiques.com/legendarymastropg2.htm

Looks fake. Note how the letters in "Official American League Ball" look pixelated like they were printed from a low resolution computer file (which it probably was). No reason a hundred year old sign would look like that.

That sign to me is as real as it gets.

have to agree
 

that the flange sign pretty much looks just as it should.

Cosign on that

Its a fake. That sign was never made in porcelain only painted tin. The one from Nate Sanders is mine.

Vintage exposed metal with no to little rust should be a glaring clue.

You mean to tell me there faking porcelain Signs Now. Unbelievable. ...

The rust/sign could have been cleaned up but with that being said, the paint chips/exposed metal looks too patterned to me like they were deliberately done.:confused:

Big time!!! Most are coming out of India but not all. I collect porcelain signs as well.

If you look through some of the prior listings by this seller, a number of the other signs exhibit similar wear patterns and image quality.

You are correct. I wouldnt buy anything from this seller.

Have to agree, the pixels in the printing of the text are a dead giveaway of a "reproduction" Printing of text was never done with pixels less than 30 years ago.

The price realized is a pretty good indicator as well. :rolleyes:

So do we think $1,800 is reasonable for a reproduction? I mean it is well executed at some level, so it does have some value for what it is.

No- not at all reasonable, if it's a confirmed repro.

I believe the high-end/advanced collectors who would normally bid it up to its expected level ($6 - $8K) were hesitant to go there, based on what they knew or suspected.

I think the winning bidder believes/wants it to be real, but simply was not challenged by the usual "stiff competition". While it does have some value, I don't think anyone in their right mind would pay $1,800 for a known reproduction.

http://m.ebay.com/itm/REACH-SPORTING...ATCHING_ACTIVE
Seller did so so well with realized price of previous sign he has somehow found another to list for sell. ;) Looking at this guy's listings, he is making a fortune on repo signs.

1st seller was Wisconsin, this seller is Indiana.

They both sell the exact same crap. Amazing.

There are more than 1 manu who makes these signs. I'd say the seller is likely purchasing from one of these and then simply flipping them, or aging them more first?
http://www.ebay.com/sch/Reproduction...7228198/i.html
http://mancavecollection.com/retro-s...ll%20Signs.htm
http://www.retroplanet.com/CTGY/MLB-Baseball-Signs.html

I do not think its any of those 3 manufacturers. This one is of higher quality, and a far better copy. It will actually fool a good percentage of seasoned collectors. Would love to know the origin :confused:

Yes Paul you are correct about these being from 2 different sellers. I failed to notice that upon first search while I scavenge eBay for old signs. With that being said, these 2 sellers are pumping out a ridiculous amount of fakes. A large percentage of fakes signs are coming out of India. India signs are much better quality and more difficult to detect than these 2 Reach signs. I believe these probably originated somewhere here in the US. When I search ebay many of the would be rare and expensive signs are listed from India.

That sucks...however, he is careful not to say anything in his description to get him into trouble...

I'm pretty sure there's nothing a seller can do to get into trouble with ebay. Just show us the fees! :rolleyes:

Suckas!!
 

Guy is making some $$$$

and even with this feedback they continue to sell like hotcakes

He must be making some sort of a deal that he will refund them quickly if they don't leave a negative. Not sure how/why you would not leave a negative for someone selling something as real that is clearly a reproductions, especially if they are doing it over and over. OK. Perhaps a neutral for an honest mistake, but looking at his patterns, not sure he could get away with the honest mistake excuse.

To be fair, he doesn't claim it is old, antique, vintage, or "original" in any way. That's always a huge red flag for me.

Caveat Emptor.

How did this guy somehow "find" all these 173 "vintage" signs?