Don't trust, just verify! That is a change on the old "Trust, but verify" slogan of the nuclear arms treaties, but very accurate. I have said it over and over. Just because a well-known auction house is selling something, doesn't mean it is real. Profiles in History has attempted to sell fake items many times.
The Planet of the Apes statue that was on the cover of Profiles 28th auction was a total fake and this was uncovered with minimal effort it seems. Something Profiles didn't do.
Meanwhile in Auction # 37 the cover item, a supposedly rare Dracula poster, which Joe Madelena swore was real, turned out to be a fake, and one of many that some collectors had forged and were trying to pass off.
Now we have the Rocky Boxing gloves. These are fake too and Sylvester Stallone's attorneys have now sent a cease and desist order to Profiles in History threatening legal action if the items are not removed. Read it on The Prop Blog here.
And on TMZ here.
And on TMZ here.
In Star Trek we had the fake Jem Hadar Battlecruiser that I wrote about here.
So what does this mean to Star Trek collectors? BUYERS BEWARE. Yeah that old saying still goes.
What is the provenance of an item?
Who has authenticated it?
Most of this information is never given and you can't simply trust an auction house that is selling thousands of items a year. You need to do your research!
Alec