I finally got myself an account - been a long time lurker and enjoyed reading posts from time to time from you all

So, hello you - I'm Jon from the UK... keen Gum Card wrapper collector...

I've been coming across an increasing (but still minor) amount of fake gum card wrappers - not the fan-made kind of sets that never were, but ones that are being passed off as original. Being aware allows us to exercise caution - so I was wondering if anyone else had any concerns/thoughts/comments/experiences - I was going to write something brief for The Wrapper on the subject so wanted to hear what others thought first...

I guess there's a danger of listing things to look out for will just make the bootleggers tighten up their act?

I've been passed a dodgy Beatles A&BC wrapper, seen some advertised copies of others and warned about ropey A&BC Mars Attacks doing the rounds.

Hope to hear back from any of you soon...

Cheers ears - Jon

Hi Jon, glad you finally took the plunge into our little safe spot for the NonSportsMan!!

Jon, It appears (from my very limited detective work over the last few years) That almost all of the "fakes" are from the 1960's sets, UK and US...With that said, Buyer beware Mate.

I'm sure others will chime in.

Nice meeting you bro.
Sincerely,
CR


"Showin the love since 1964"

Nice to have you join........we have lots of wrapper lovers....I know Jack really loves them. I'm sure they'll chime in.....from the baseball side, I see those Babe Ruth Candy wrappers all the time at flea markets around here. It's pretty easy to get some semigloss type of printer/copy paper and do a laser copy and then do some 'doctoring' on it that would likely create something that would fool 60-70% of the people--especially at a flea market. We have TONS of fake crap, autos and other items at our local flea market. It used to be a good source of items but I've given up on it over the last few years.

There's nothing like experience. Handling a lot of wrappers gives you a feel for the real ones. The few fakes I've seen have been pretty obvious and of low quality. I look for the quality of paper, fold lines, changes in the wax where it was originally sealed, logical wear points on the surface, etc. The ones I have a problem with are the "original never used" ones. I have one or two of these in my collection and they always make me a little nervous. The more expensive the wrapper, the closer I look.

Art experts have been fooled by fake Van Goughs and paid fortunes for them. At least we're not laying out that kind of money. There's less incentive to create a really good fake. Good luck. -Jack J.

Jon, please reread what Charley posted. On the US ebay, we have a seller named crabmonkey or something like that who routinely sells reproduction boxes and wrappers from that series. While he/she does say these are repros, who knows if the next seller lists them that way. With the high quality of printers available, it isn't too hard to duplicate almost any wrapper.
Most of the repros I've seen do date from the 1960's but any wrapper can or may be reproduced. By the way, write your article and share what you know. Welcome aboard!

Isn't a little more difficult to duplicate a WAX pack wrapper than running some wax paper through your printer though?

And by the way, I've seen a wrapper and box combo that I think were the work of "crabmonk." Unless they were a poor early attempt, those things look a lot better in his eBay listings than in person. No way would I mistake those for the real thing, unless he's gotten a lot better with his methods. Anyone bought anything from him recently to compare?

Hi Jon , welcome to Net54 . I'm a little worried about the fake wrappers as I was contemplating collecting a few in the near future as it's part of the hobby I've never really delved into ( i only have 2 1960's wrappers).
As you can see some of the guys aren't shy when it comes to naming reputable (and i use that word loosely) repro producers , is there any chance you can name and shame ...or maybe put up links (after the auction ends) to who you consider are selling fakes .

The criminals should not be able to hide behind the e-bay curtain .

Anyway ,I hope you still contribute your views and maybe some scans of your collection .

Mark

Mark, Bill, Lance...Yeppers!

We discussed this guy (CrabXXXXX) before on net54...and there seems to be 2 camps.
1 camp. No problem if they are clearly marked
2nd camp: Problem even if they are marked
I'm kinda in the middle..another story, another day.

Anyhoo, You guys have raised the question, specifically Lance...THERE ARE a number of auctions current and just ended for Boxes from a seller in RI ( thats the same location of "CrabXXXX") (Hmmm?)... It just seems to good to be true...and these are not marked....I'm waiting to see what kind of feedback this guy or girl gets in the next few weeks? Time will tell. I do think his or her MUNSTERS box looks too New, Good...I can't remember when I have seen one so clean and untouched...Oh, thats right...it was a repro (Gulp) Hope I'm wrong.
I remember selling to this screename way back when and also...I think they outbid me a few times over the years on sets that also had a display box included??( writer scratches head)

Anyhoo, we'll see

Many, Many...WRAPPER folks on this board more knowledgable than moi...I don't Go too strong on wrappers unless it compliments something I have...and usually the wrapper or box is the first thing to go (sell off) if I'm decluttering.
(sigh)

More folks will chime in , but as Tom and others point out...with the Tech getting so cheap (i.e. printers,scanners,cameras,software) One could easily copy a lot of later wrappers very easily. (sigh)

Now finding Glassine period blank stock for the early stuff would be more difficult...but I imagine , still doable.




" Showin the love since 1966"