Fakes

Yes, I know I promised that everything on this site was 'original'... However, going through my old pictures, I found numerous scans of fake awards and documents that I've had over the years, and decided to post them on here as 'lessons learned'.  Without further ado: 

Exhibit 1 -  The Fake Hero Star

I purchased this star from a fellow who was likewise a novice collector.  This was the first Hero Star I ever had a chance to get 'up close and personal' with, and was impressed by the quality of construction and the weight of the star.  I was thoroughly convinced that it was real.  The group consisted of the Hero Star, Order of Lenin, Red Star (all the awards the man was entitled to) as well as his Order Book and small Hero document.  He had bought the group in the Ukraine, and had been assured of it's authenticity.

The first bad news came in the form of the research results...  The number of the Star corresponded to one having belonged to a pilot (a very cool citation awarding the title for actions on the ground behind enemy lines!) the Lenin belonged to a long-serving Lieutenant Colonel, and the Red Star likewise didn't belong in the group.  

Given that first blow, I sent the Star to Paul McDaniel for authentication.  Sure enough, it was fake.  A very good fake, but fake nevertheless.  The Order Book was likewise fake (unfortunately, the book was lost in an overseas move.)  For the Star, the hanger was real- most likely from a Socialist Labor Star, but the actual star itself was fake.  It was thicker and slightly smaller than an original star, the 9 o'clock arm ridge wasn't even with the other arms (it 'rocked' when placed face-first on a flat surface) the wear was too even, the serial numbers were wrong, the stippling on the reverse was too deep, the letters for "HERO USSR" were too sharp on the edges and there was no wear on the bottom points of the Star, and should be seen on all 50+ year old Stars!   (Just a few problems!)  Take a good look at the photos and compare them with Stars such as from Moroz, Rumyantsev, and Kolesnikov- you'll see what I mean.

Epitaph:  I was able to get most of my money back, and for the money that wasn't returned, the seller allowed me to keep everything from the group minus the Hero Star, which was a fair deal for both of us.  

Exhibit 2 - The Fake Nevsky

This Nevsky was being sold by a another fellow I know, who honestly thought that it was real.  It is (at least in my opinion) an exceptional fake, definitely intended to deceive! Some of you reading this will be able to see other clues that make it a fake, but my tip off was the hanging rings- both on the order, and from the hanger itself- far too thin compared to the originals.  Additionally, (I don't recommend doing this, but...) under hand-strength pressure, the award itself could 'flex', something you couldn't do with a vice and hammer with a real award! (That trick is a holdover from the German collecting days!) 

Epitaph: The award was sent to me 'on approval'.  I returned it to the seller, explaining to him my feelings, and he understood.  I don't know what happened to it after that, however...

Exhibit 3 - Fake Group #1

This was a beautiful group, and I purchased it from a very reputable dealer.  It seemed 'perfect'... A nice early GPW, a rare type Nevsky, and an early Red Banner.  The book was very nice, and all of the awards had Authentication Certificates.  Can't go wrong, right? 

This was one group were research paid dividends... The research came back, and only the GPW belonged to the person in the book.  All of the awards were genuine (of course) but the book had faked entries!  The Nevsky belonged to an artillery officer, and the Red Banner was actually a Divisional award!

Unfortunately, the scans of the book are rather small, but the stampings for the award names and the writing in of the numbers were EXACTLY like that of the first entry.  This group fooled everyone (including the 'experts') that looked at it.  Just goes to show the importance of research- it serves as an 'unbiased' second opinion into the authenticity of the group. 

Epitaph: I returned the group to the dealer I bought it from, and he refunded my money without a hassle.  (The benefits of dealing with a reputable dealer!) He eventually split the group up, and sold the awards individually.  

Exhibit 4 - Fake Group #2

I was warned that this group was most likely fake even before I bought it, as it was being sold by a 'suspected' faker.  I bought the group anyway, because the price was far less than the individual value of the combined pieces.  The group additionally came with a Communist Party ID book to the 'same person.'

Upon visually inspecting the group, I concluded that the Order Book was a complete fake- the original entries had been washed out, and new entries had been put in.  This included the name, to match that of the ID book.  In my ten years of collecting Soviet awards, I've never seen stamps like that for the Lenin, and have defiantly never seen that color before!  If anyone else has, please enlighten me!  

Epitaph: I split the group apart and sold the pieces individually.  And made my money back (as was the original plan.)

Exhibit 5 - Fake Group #3

This group came from the same seller as the above group, during a 'rash' of him selling legit groups when he first came 'on the scene'.  The group looked good when I received it, but when the research came back, you guessed it, it was bad!  Only the first award was legit- all the others had been added into the book by a faker.  Now, with the experience I've had, I can easily see that the last three awards were added in later- the same ink was used for the first award, and for the dates, and not for the other awards- a dead giveaway. 

Epitaph:  Since there were other medals, documents and photos with the group, I kept the original group together, and sold it at a severe loss (no one wants a group with a book that was played with!) The other three orders were pieced out and sold individually.

Exhibit 6 - Fake Group #4

This group just consisted of the Red Banner and corresponding Order Book.  I was suspicious of the book right off, but figured it was worth a risk (it was cheap enough, and book had a nice photo of the recipient in it.)  When the research came back (you guessed correctly again!) only the first two awards were legit.  The rest were added by someone with a creative mind!  

Epitaph: I eventually sold the book and Red Banner together, though I got less for the entire group with the research than the research cost alone.

Parting Shot -

Here's another scan of some of the above award books, but the colors aren't as washed out (I discovered later that scanning the medals and documents at the same time was a bad thing for colors!) A fourth book is added, this belonged to a group that was bad enough I didn't even both scanning before I split it up... 

For more information about fakes, with numerous close-up scans, I highly recommend Alexei Merezhko's website: http://pweb.netcom.com/~merezhko/militaria.html.  

Always remember- an educated collector is better than a fool with lots of money! Happy hunting!