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Authenticity is Everything
Fake Movie and Television Props and forged ELLIS PROP COA's
In looking on eBay if you type in Andy Griffith Show, Leave it to Beaver, Bewitched, the Brady Bunch etc. in an eBay search you often will find "props" used on the set of the show. Sometimes there are screenshots even showing the item. It is my belief that the vast majority of these items are at the least suspect. I happened on the following article on the subject of fake COA's of the Ellis Prop Company. While this may have only a negligible relationship to autographs many people who collect also would like props from various movies and shows too. The following is a fascinating article by Mr. Jason DeBorg it shows examples of apparently authentic COA's and the clearly fake ones. I think people might find the following very useful and interesting:
http://www.originalprop.com/blog/2013/04/20/revisiting-ellis-props-...
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Dan Gregory on
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A good article and It just shows that a COA is only a piece of paper and so easily forged. Almost all of those examples in the article could be done via a home computer and the forgers take advantage of people who only want a COA and do no research
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Permalink Reply by Scott Paul on
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The sad thing is that most of the stuff really looks like something dug out of the back of an old barn somewhere. You can almost smell the pigeon manure on them. As someone on that site pointed out why would detailed records be kept of individual shows that a prop was used for? Medicine bottles, ice cream dishes, planters, salt and pepper shakers etc. all used in the 1950s or 60s and someone recorded what production they were used on??? It boggles the mind. Movie props especially firearms I can see where that might possibly have been done but Aunt Bee's coffee pot??? I love when they say they were used on the set but might not be shown in the show itself. Why would want something that was sitting as a silent witness in the corner of some
TV show?
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Permalink Reply by Mike T on
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As far as props go, I personally only trust items coming directly from production members, and even then you have to be careful. If someone selling the item doesn't have a direct link to the production, chances are it isn't real - or isn't what they claim it to be.
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I agree props are very difficult to authenticate especially the types of "junk" being offered on eBay. They seemingly have an endless supply of old blue willow china and cheap trinkets. Some of the ones offering the most suspicious items have "private" sales so you cannot see the item people won.
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Permalink Reply by Dane on
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Mike, what are your thoughts on items purchased through auction houses. Although they sometimes include provenance statements from consignors, there are some that regularly forego such provenance in order to hide the identity of consignors. I've always assumed this practice was in place to prevent buyers from directly contacting consignors.
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If there is no concrete provenance from someone directly tied to the production I don't trust it. Doesn't mean it's not real, just impossible to ever prove definitively.
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Yeah, I feel the same way sometimes. I recently won a jersey that was supposedly used in the production of "The Natural." Like every other jersey that I've seen come to market from the movie, it doesn't have documentation. I have no idea how I'll ever prove it is what it is, but still cool to own. :)
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I wish I could report that none of these were up for sale on eBay but that is not the case. There is a dish from The Andy Griffith Show a bunch of junk from MASH all with fake COA's. Some of these are from people that appear to have been collectors who are now selling their collection. Sadly people will continue to buy these worthless (or nearly) thrift shop junk for 100 times the values. In my opinion, eBay has no interest in protecting their customers with the policy of not being able to contact buyers to warn them this has allowed the escalation of all sorts of fake autographs and props. The fake Ellis Prop Company COA looks photocopied but they use a blue signature too to make it appear real.
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FAKE Ellis Prop Company COA from eBay. It is for a china shelf planter and yet one of the signatures is for the Ellis Prop Company "Armorer." The reason for this is because this is one of hundreds of faked COA's. I am putting this on here so people can better see what they look like. Obviously sellers always mention the COA but almost never show the COA. Note how two of the signatures are in blue making it appear more genuine.
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