Fiddles & Diddles

People believe what they want to believe to be true.

This saying is so true… if searching the internet or scouring auctions for an elusive piece of rock memorabilia something that you really want suddenly becomes available and excitement and anticipation go into overdrive. However, there is just something about it that doesn’t quite ring true, doesn’t look right, too cheap etc. Frequently and to our detriment we persuade ourselves or are persuaded that our doubts are unfounded and ignore the signal(s) because we “want to believe”.

AT A GLANCE: RED FLAGS TO WATCH FOR

Before the full read below, here are the signals that should make you stop and look closer:

A Certificate/Letter of Authenticity is the only evidence offered — with no history, receipts, or provenance behind it
The certifier and the seller turn out to be connected, or the certifier can’t be independently identified
The price feels too good for what’s being offered
An auction house won’t respond, or won’t clarify, when asked directly about a lot’s authenticity
A seller’s “proof” is a photo of someone getting an item signed, with no way to confirm who’s in the photo
A poster, print or flyer is described as an “original” with vague or unverifiable detail on print run or edition
The paper, ink, fading or wear doesn’t match the claimed age of the item
You’re being rushed — “other buyers interested”, “offer ends today”, pressure to decide fast

None of these on their own is proof of a fake. But any one of them is a reason to slow down, ask more questions, and — if in doubt — get a second opinion before you commit. See “Getting a Second Opinion” at the end of this page.

CERTIFICATES AND LETTERS OF AUTHENTICITY

One way we can be persuaded to buy something that doesn’t tick all the boxes is through Certificates/Letters of Authenticity. Some of these are highly elaborate and made to look official, but in most cases they are worthless and without merit.

These documents can be generated by the seller or associates of the seller in an attempt to bring credibility to a piece that doesn’t have any credible information or history associated with it. Anyone can claim to be qualified to assess and certify at will, and this is where a conflict of interest may arise.

If the seller is also responsible for creating the Certificate of Authenticity, albeit under a different pseudonym, the buyer is effectively being hoodwinked.

We are not saying everyone does this — there are a few independent, specialised companies/individuals that offer this service in good faith. But in the final analysis, a certificate is only ever their opinion, nothing more. It is not a guarantee.

Our advice is to stick to the following three principles while engaging a buyer’s instinct:

If it doesn’t look right, smell right, feel right,

then chances are it ‘aint right!

Think about this. If you are clearing out a shed or attic and you happen to find an old newspaper wrapped around some discarded item stored decades earlier, your perception of this newspaper is that it looks old, it looks faded, it looks brittle — but most of all, that strongest of all our senses (smell) tells us that it is unquestionably old.

The same rules apply to memorabilia, with consideration given to how long ago the item was printed or made. Clearly a piece from the early 60s will have more ageing, in almost every respect, when compared against something from the 80s.

AUCTION HOUSES

The majority of auction houses or auctions are honest offerings, however there are some indicators that should be noted when looking to buy in person or on the internet.

Very few — a handful — of auction houses or auctioneers could be regarded as true experts in this specific field.

We can cite too many instances where an auction house has been challenged on the authenticity of a lot included within a general or music memorabilia sale. Reputable auction houses will respond with their views, commenting on their findings prior to the sale and clarifying the issues raised. However, they may not have the resources or expertise to genuinely assess the item accurately. When challenged, they then have several options:

Withdraw the lot, thereby losing their commission on hammer price.
Place a caveat stating “each buyer needs to satisfy themselves in relation to authenticity prior to bidding at auction.” Potential buyers should make their own enquiries on the authenticity of a lot.
Ignore the request entirely. This should flag up warning signals, as no reputable auctioneer, auction house or dealer should — or would — do this.

If you’re weighing up a lot ahead of a sale, a house’s willingness to engage properly with a direct authenticity question is itself useful information.

EBAY AND ONLINE SALES

“I have a picture of me getting this album signed.”

This is, in most cases, genuine — but regrettably it can also be an unscrupulous tactic to sell a fake or forgery, in an attempt to convince the unwary that they are buying the real deal. Do you know for sure the person in the photograph is the person trying to persuade you to part with a substantial sum of money?

Other patterns worth knowing on online marketplaces:

Stock photos or images reused across multiple listings, sometimes from different sellers
Listings with no return policy, or a return window too short to get a proper opinion
New seller accounts with little to no history, offering high-value “finds”
Descriptions that lean heavily on the story around an item and say very little about its physical, verifiable detail

POSTERS AND PRINTS

This is an absolute minefield. An original first print can command tens of thousands of pounds and more, dependent on the artist, design and number of prints known to be in existence. Second and third reprints are not so collectable, and are priced accordingly — anywhere between roughly £40 and £300 as a ballpark generalisation, again dependent on artist and design.

Forgeries purporting to be originals are rife on eBay, online auction houses, specialist dealers — you name it. Counterfeit posters and flyers have been successfully sold through many well-known and respected auction houses, as well as specialist shops, eBay, and any other outlet where a buyer can be totally scammed.

There are several tell-tale signs of copies and reprints. Things worth checking, or asking a specialist to check, before you rely on your own eye alone include:

Paper stock and weight — originals from a given era used specific printing stocks that later reprints rarely match exactly
Colour saturation and registration — modern reprints often show flatter, more uniform colour than period litho printing
Fold lines, staple holes and venue markings consistent with how the piece would genuinely have been distributed and displayed at the time
Edge wear and ageing that’s consistent — genuinely old paper ages unevenly, not uniformly
Any printer’s mark, edition number or known print-run detail that can be cross-checked

If more than one of these doesn’t add up, that’s worth taking seriously — this is exactly the kind of judgement call where a second opinion earns its keep.

AUTOGRAPHS AND SIGNATURES

Signatures are one of the hardest things to judge from a photograph alone, and one of the most commonly faked. A few things worth knowing:

Genuine signatures show natural variation in pressure and pen flow; forgeries are often traced or copied and can look slightly too consistent, or conversely too hesitant
Some items carry secretarial signatures — signed by an assistant on an artist’s behalf, common with fan mail — which are genuine in origin but not the artist’s own hand
Autopen signatures, produced mechanically, can be very convincing at a glance but tend to repeat identically across multiple items
Where possible, comparing a signature against a verified exemplar from the same era of the artist’s life matters more than comparing it to a signature from a very different period — signatures change over decades

TICKETS, PASSES AND PROGRAMMES

Because these are often simple in design, they can be some of the easiest items to reproduce convincingly. Points worth checking:

Paper stock and printing method consistent with the claimed era
Perforation, numbering and any security features (holograms, foil, watermarking) appropriate to when it was issued
Whether the item is genuinely unused/attached-stub versus a later reproduction of a used ticket

GETTING A SECOND OPINION

None of the above is about being suspicious for its own sake — it’s about knowing what questions to ask before you commit, whether you’re buying, selling, or simply trying to understand something you’ve inherited or found.

If you have any doubts about a piece — or you’d simply like an informed opinion before you go any further — send us the details and, where possible, some photographs via our Enquiries page. We’re always glad to help.

Fiddles & Diddles

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