How To Spot A Fake

L

lambertiana

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Jul 7, 2000
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I would like to start a new thread that hopefully gets pinned to allow people to learn about how to spot fake knives. There are a lot of fakes out there, and the fakers can be very creative, making it hard to spot sometimes. I want this thread to be a place where people can ask about specific knives, or to show some that are for sale on various platforms like ebay. My intent is not to deal spot or denigrate people; this should only be a place where people can show pictures and ask about a knife, or where people can show pictures and point out signs of fakes so that we can all learn. galvanic1882 galvanic1882 has promised to start this off with a few examples. I want this to be an educational thread.
 
Here is another new knife that might fool people thinking it's a vintage Catt, the seller Courtney states it's a knife made in 1980 which is great that she states that.

www.ebay.com

1980's Cattaraugus Cutlery Little Valley NY USA Jigged Bone Eureka Jack Knife | eBay

Both blade tangs are stamped "Cattaraugus Cutlery Co Little Valley, NY". This knife is in GOOD condition with No Box. This knife has not been used or sharpened with no marks on the blades. T he handles have no cracks and the blades have great snap.
www.ebay.com
 
echoscout said:
Saw it's the other day. Bone, shield and punch all sent red flags flying for me.
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Great idea for a thread.
I too agree exactly with you as when I first saw it. Punch looks to a standard blade converted. Nice covers, but not original to me.
A lot comes down to common sense instinct. The Fed counterfeit guys study only the real bills in such depth that they know a fake very easily. If you have seen enough examples of a genuine older knife it will often seem suspect rather quickly.
I guess one way is to do a little investigating (internet search) by looking for the particular knife/model examples thru pics on various resources. We also have some very knowledgeable people right here where this thread will be helpful.
 
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Here's one that might be easier for beginners to spot:

DnbEAT0.jpg

HFowXdV.jpg


Aside from the comically oversized wonky shield, if you zoom in, you can see horizontal file marks and the remnants of an earlier tang stamp. Probably from some less collectable maker.

XnC7Vjm.jpg



Thanks for starting this thread, L lambertiana .
 
Normally we do not allow links to live eBay auctions to be posted. But we have allowed it in the past in the BRL forum when the purpose was to identify a fake and discuss it. So I'm good with posting the links.
 
I feel like the definition of a "fake" is a grey area.
Cannibalised from genuine original parts by a hobbyist? Yep.
Made OS and claiming authentic brand? Yep.
Generally speaking it is the claiming to be other than what it actually is in order to deceive a buyer. Quality not assured but some examples are not bad. It's the deception that irks us most imo.
Cheers.
 
meako said:
Generally speaking it is the claiming to be other than what it actually is in order to deceive a buyer. Quality not assured but some examples are not bad. It's the deception that irks us most imo.
Cheers.
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Exactly. This is what I had in mind.
 
The trouble with using ebay links, is that after a certain time the listing no longer shows and the pics are unavailable. I used to be able to right click an ebay image and save it as a jpeg to my desktop. However, now the only option it gives me is to save them as a webpage image, which doesn't do us any good.
 
danno50 said:
The trouble with using ebay links, is that after a certain time the listing no longer shows and the pics are unavailable. I used to be able to right click an ebay image and save it as a jpeg to my desktop. However, now the only option it gives me is to save them as a webpage image, which doesn't do us any good.
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I hear you. I've been using screenshots on PC, Smartphone, or tablet when I see that.
 
galvanic1882 said:
Check this one out, beautiful looking knife with 3 backsprings, what do you all think of it?? Comments please.

www.ebay.com

Vintage Cattaraugus Bone Whittler Knife Little Valley NY USA | eBay

The genuine jigged bovine bone handle scales have no cracks.
www.ebay.com
Click to expand...

I will say I am an amateur and although I hold and evaluate a lot of old things (including some old knives) I am the farthest thing from an expert. I don’t know enough to say what the knife is or started life as, but looking at this one…. to me the jigging looks way too “crisp” for the purported age and wear of the knife. It’s also an unusual type I’ve never seen before, which looks suspiciously like it could have been hand-rusticated with a burr on a dremel. Also one of the whittler blades has been obviously modified in some way, and the fact that the knife has three backsprings is a red flag to me, because I associate this with cheaper modern construction.
 
r8shell said:
Here's one that might be easier for beginners to spot:

DnbEAT0.jpg

HFowXdV.jpg


Aside from the comically oversized wonky shield, if you zoom in, you can see horizontal file marks and the remnants of an earlier tang stamp. Probably from some less collectable maker.

XnC7Vjm.jpg



Thanks for starting this thread, L lambertiana .
Click to expand...

Shield appears cockeyed like it was done by hand in a garage. And the horizontal file markings here might at first seem appropriate since most knives have marks here -but the marks on the tang will always be curved from where the blade has rubbed the liners as it opens and closes. That one does look like an obvious scrub and restamp.
 
galvanic1882 said:
Here is another new knife that might fool people thinking it's a vintage Catt, the seller Courtney states it's a knife made in 1980 which is great that she states that.

www.ebay.com

1980's Cattaraugus Cutlery Little Valley NY USA Jigged Bone Eureka Jack Knife | eBay

Both blade tangs are stamped "Cattaraugus Cutlery Co Little Valley, NY". This knife is in GOOD condition with No Box. This knife has not been used or sharpened with no marks on the blades. T he handles have no cracks and the blades have great snap.
www.ebay.com
Click to expand...

I am glad seller described this one as “1980s.” I wouldn’t have wanted to definitively say so on my own determination, but, It has that look, end cap and bone looks very flat with not much rounding or radius on edges, something I associate with more modern production. Also condition would be truly exceptional for an 1890s-1910s knife, which is when this pattern was popular if memory serves. Red flag (“If it’s too good to be true…”)
 
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