The Seller of These are saying that these are Authentic and are not a Reproduction. i'll like to bet that they are reproductions. can anyone help me verify that they are ReProductions ? http://cgi.ebay.com/AuthenticTURN-OF-THE-CENTURY-HAND-CUFFS-COMPLETE-W-KEY_W0QQitemZ170182197784QQihZ007QQcategoryZ39665QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting

"Don't forget where you hide the key because it's a special key made just for that set of cuffs"



Bah. Repros all over.

The listing is not totally bogus. The dealer says "Authentic, turn of the century pair of hand cuffs". I agree that they were made at the turn of the century, the 21st century in fact.

The one thing that most dealers like this one try to pass on is the message that if the cuff looks primitive then it must be old. Of course the opposite is true. When Folsom prison opened in the late 19th century they were likely using Tower double locking handcuffs. They were of much higher quality than anything being made today.

Happy New Year to all.
Joe

JBM,

I also agree that these are pure fakes. I have a few cuffs with JAIL names stamped on them (Salem Jail, L.A. Co., and such) but I have never seen a pair marked with a PRISON name except for fakes. I see Alcatraz, Andersonville, Yuma Prison, and just Death Row cuffs all the time and they almost always have their matching keys and a starting price of $9.99.
If any authentic Prison cuffs are offered, they probably would start off at $99.00 and not have their key. Chances are excellent that they would not be darby style cuffs either.
As Joe stated, most likely they would be Tower products. Providence Tool and Thompson would have the best chances to be ordered up if ever a darby was used at a prison. Both companies sold their wares under Federal contracts. Even in the unlikely event that a US prison decided to import some Darbies over from England, they would be identifiable as a Hiatt, RCS, or Froggatt product.
The cuffs offered as authentic are the same cuffs that are sold under all sorts of names to attract the buyer and relieve him of his hard earned cash. Maybe the seller believes they are for real, but chances are he paid less than $10 and is starting them off at about the same price in his auction.

Hope this helps. If you wish to read more about fakes, please go here... http://reviews.ebay.com/HANDCUFF-COLLECTING-Why-collect-them-How-to-spot-fakes_W0QQugidZ10000000001203284

A yes vote at the bottom would be very appreciated.

mark
O--O

Joe,
How about putting the link http://reviews.ebay.com/HANDCUFF-COLLECTING-Why-collect-them-How-to-spot-fakes_W0QQugidZ10000000001203284 on the main page since people are doing google searches and the like and winding up here. Having it like at the top of the page or something that sticks out a bit for those seeking info on what is real and what is fake. Or with Mak's permission, just copy the text and put it here on your site so they don't have to keep clicking on links all over the net. Just an idea and maybe post some detailed pictures and the clues to determine the difference?

-Dorson

They're fakes. I believe they're distributed by Great America Trading Company. They wholesale for about ten bucks a pair. There are several junque distributors that have similar items. Find the manufacturer in India, and you can probably get a twenty foot containerload for four bucks a pair.

The construction is a dead giveaway, as is the epoxied-on brass plaque. They come with the names of various famous prisons, like Alcatraz, Folsom, Yuma Territorial Perison, as well as Dwyer Slave Merchants and some bogus Plantation Police or another. I have never sen an authentic cuff with brass nameplates. Some institutions etch or stamp their names in the metal.

Those are a particularly odd sample. That line appeared last year. Most of the knockoffs are a more traditional, if cheapened Darby style. If you can get them for twenty bucks, you won't have thrown too much money away on a novelty item or wallhanger.

I regularly report those as frauds. I'm probably just peeing in the wind.

Dorson

You made a good suggestion, but the link to Mark's eBay article is already on the Handcuffs.Org home page. The problem is that most dealers know they are fakes. The problem is the casual customer who does no research. They simply beleive what the dealer says.

Joe

You are correct, I did find it when I did look a second time and only found it after it was highlighted after being in my cookies. Maybe a slightly different title, bigger type, section all by itself........ When most people are searching, if it stands out more, it is easier to find. I don't know if these people are finding your site by using google or what means to get here. Does the ebay show up in a google search? Just tossing some ideas around is all.....

-Dorson

Item number: 300186655104 this SELLER also needs help ,this looks like 8 pair of saddle stirups ,wrong picture on wrong item i think ?

LK: Seems the seller just got his pictures mixed up. He has an auction for English saddle stirrups with the same pic.