S.A. No. 15 Mk. 1 Transit Chest Markings Question

[browningautorifle]

You and I would know but in 20yrs or less it will be sold as original in very good as new.

That's why I quit hoarding the old collectable stuff. Getting harder to tell apart and driving the serious collectors away.

[ArtioZen]

I've got two examples of the best "Replica" chests from the last 15 years in my collection - I skipped on the dire / cheap ones - to a novice, sure they could be taken as real and original.. I also know the few "sizzle doctors" who faux age materials and have "legal" run through the description so the suggestion of original is still in the buyers mind.
In either case- the features of these replicas fall short - the count of these errant / changed features counted on two hands, such as: Excessively knotted carcass wood, one piece monolith sides - not 2 piece T&G composite as per war years - alternative wood and grain in ends and partitions. Metal hardware differences - the felt used is difficult to get and keep consistent - its simply isn't "right" - the scout scope lining being the most stark - the repro producers tend to make them "too perfect" - the buyers being exacting detail / quality drivers for the money. External damage - from stores and transport and handling - staples and u clips for wiring together in shipments / on pallets. Stores label nails and nail holes - stencils in all their forms and overpainting in that black "troll snot" - I don't think even the sizzle doctors would manage to fake all of that..
Caveat Emptor
H

[Troglodyte]

It really does come down to "caveat emptor." There are many frauds out there, Drax on GunBroker being one of the most obvious examples, discussed several times on these pages.

Last week a non-import marked all-matching Chinese SKS sold for $1625 when the market price is about $600.

Why? Because somebody added a fake Iraqi Army acceptance proof (electro-penciled and incorrect) and some Arabic numbers and writing obviously put there by a non-Arabic writer/reader. The faker earned himself $1025 for a few minutes of poor artwork.



The buyer or his heirs will sell it as original because they believe it to be original, and paid an appropriate price for a bringback.

As buyers, we owe it to ourselves to buy books and read forums before plonking down cash based on a seller's description. And attempts to mark a quality repro as non-original will be chipped off, painted over, or otherwise obliterated when the prices get high enough.

[Bindi2]

It is not the serious collector of today who gets caught it is the Newby.
The real down side is when the beat up original gets gets junked because of its original used condition for a better looking FAKE being sold by the now older Newby to a newer Newby*.
I have seen this happen even with knowledgeable collectors when asked why that one the answer was it looks better.