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Follow examples of my private
experiences - comments will be welcome, especially
if you add scans or observations to the Forum
part devoted to forgeries and fakes!
4 July 2004
I would like to warn all collectors
about my experience with the Zeige Auction House
(Hamburg) that knowingly sells fakes and later
refuses to take any responsibility (http://www.zeige.com/en/index2.html).
I do so after several failed attempts to bring
obvious fakes to their attention. After beibng
ignored for months I finally received an email:
"...you have bid for a lot and we can't
examine each item for original. It's one lot with
a lot of items in it. Sorry. regards Auktionshaus
C. Zeige".
So much for after-sale guarantees
... all I can add is that I should not have believed
that they sell originals only (I called to ask
that specifically before the auction) and any
buyer should always insist on high quality scans
and a money back guarantee inspection period before
buying.
In my case it concernes a lot from the 15th Auction
which included two Orders of Glory that I was
told on the phone are 3rd class and original.
One was in fact a crudely converted 3rd class
to 2nd class (slopily applied gold paint to center
relief with the number on reverse crudely altered)
and the other is a cast copy (alluminium?) of
a 3rd class, with red paint in place of enamel
and at first sight not from silver! In both cases
VERY obvious fakes but the Ziege Auction House
maintains that it did not NOTICE and refuses to
take any responsibility! As far as I am concerened
this dealer is thoroughly unprofessional so keep
away if you value your money! See yourselves on
scans below what Mr. Zeige overlooked and feel
free to warn your friends about my experience
(click on the thumnails below to see the detailed
avers and reverse).
 
23 February 2004
When visiting Vienna I thought
for a few minutes that I would finally add to
my collection a medal for "Strengthening
of Military Cooperation". The price was 110
Euros (usually around 100 USD from US dealers)
but upon closer inspection their was no enamel
but only a thick layer of either paint or epoxy
in the star. This is a rather rare medal (only
20.000 ever issued) established on 25 May 1979
and awarded only to participants of maneuvers
of the Warsaw Pact. The otherwise reputable dealer
was evidently convinced that this piece was an
original, arguing that late issue Soviet medals
(like for example for "International Soldiers"
or for the "Chernobyl clean-up") were
no longer with real enamel. Wrong, this medal
is always made with enamel and is gold-plated
and very good fakes are evidently minted in high
quality but without the obligatory enamel. Be
careful and do not accept such explanations!
16 June 2002
I was
just offered a number of awards that were very skillfully forged:
1) Suvorov 3rd class Type 2 (3
rivets) that was very nicely made and came complete
with forged medal book. The pages were washed
of their former contents and a new entry was made
for the Suvorov award. The pages showed signs
of chemical bleaching and the new entry with the
serial number was evidently with new ink that
was absorbed by the damaged paper so it was blurred
at the edges. The weight was a few grams too much
but the piece was made of silver. Evidently an
excellent effort to cast that left tell-tale signs
of pockmarks and even file traces were it was
being finished off. Another problem was that the
screw post was not soldered but screwed in. Price
... 550,- USD.
2) Bogdan Khmelnitski 1st class
Variation 2 (2 rivets) - even a better "product",
this time without a medal book. The weight was
a whole 7 grams too many (49g) but made of 950
gold and silver as it should. Evidently a most
excellent effort of casting but it still left
tell-tale signs of pockmarks and even file traces
were it was being finished off. Another problem
was that the screw post was not soldered but screwed
in. Price a whopping 2600,- USD!
3) Hero of Soviet Union that
had problems with its suspension (clearly replacement),
otherwise looked very good and had the right weight
and size, made of the correct gold. Indeed, a
nice effort complete with forged medal book (no
in the 6 thousands). The pages were "washed"
of their former contents and a new entry was made
for the Suvorov award. The pages showed signs
of chemical bleaching and the new entry with the
serial number was evidently with new ink that
was absorbed by the damaged paper so it was blurred
at the edges. Another problem was the reverse
which displayed the uneven dents that are supposed
to be made by hand but these were evidently not
done by a Monetnij Dvor master. Another excellent
effort of a cast copy that left tell-tale signs
of pockmarks and even file traces were it was
being finished off. Also the fastening nut was
a cast copy. The last problem was the price ...
900,- USD.
4) Several at first sight in
very good condition 20 years of the RKKA. All
allegedly came directly from a "vojenkomat".
Their problem was however that they were not of
silver (nitrate of silver test immediately produced
black coloring), the weight was several grams
too much, the enamel on the star was "soft"
(applied evidently by the so called "cold"
method) and you could feel it give even when applying
pressure with your nail and the XX numerals were
not gold plated (which was surprising given the
otherwise excellent condition. Finally, the suspension
ring was far too thin and they came without it.
Price 50,- USD.
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