New Movement in the Antiques Industry
It’s about time… Antique Show Manager Dordy Fontinel of the Fall Hunt County Antique Fair (in Virginia) rebels against the influx of reproductions at Antique Shows. All of his shows will now be antiques only…and he has asked his dealers to stand behind what they sell by issuing a receipt (with your name, address, and phone), describing and dating the items, and informing the buyer of any repairs. Many of us in the carousel business, that is, all reputable dealers, will be happy to do this for you. We hope that all distributors will follow his example.
Our long conversation was very informative. Dorty went on to tell me that of those people who shop on E-Bay, about 75% of all antique purchases are fakes. Now, that’s not E-Bay’s fault, what has happened to our society that has made it the norm to try to cheat, to cheat our buyers with the intention of committing total fraud. We need to change this trend… and educate the public.
Did you know that in many states (it should be in every state) it IS a criminal fraud to sell a fake or reproduction as an antique? The merchandise must be labeled as such. You can contact your state attorney’s office or state senator’s office to find out. This is for any antique.
Do you know what classifies and Antiquity? Items must be over 100 years old, wooden items such as furniture 50 years or older. Anything less is considered a collectible.
The Hobby Protection Act was passed in 1973 and requires all new merchandise to be marked with country of origin and date… but most don’t even follow that. It is obvious that these thousands of articles, which have been infiltrated into events of the highest caliber old shows, are intended to deceive.
Dorty is trying to get all the dealers together, get TV articles and publications, and get the FTC to not only acknowledge this problem, but do something about it. How will you feel a few years from now only to find out that the Depression Glass or Tiffany Glass you’ve been saving for years to retire is fake?
Genuine antiques, Dorty has declared, are the ultimate recycled items for the green movement. Go green, buy an authentic antique!
How to tell a fake carousel horse from a real one…
This column is to help you not be fooled into being naive and uninformed. Your best approach to buying a vintage carousel horse is to be prepared. We always suggest that you try to deal with a reputable and experienced carousel dealer. Many others will give you all sorts of stories (and we’ve heard some gems), just remember the first rule…if it sounds too good to be true…it probably isn’t!
Also remember that there is nothing wrong with a reproduction or decorative piece, as long as you know what you are buying. The difference between these is usually quite a bit, unless you are very lucky.
1. If you find a wooden horse and want to identify it or make sure what you’re buying, most of the people at Carousel will be happy to help you…you should expect to pay for this service, here’s what these people do for a living life……it is usually less than $50. and it would be worth it to you to be sure. (We charge $25. and require photos of both sides of the animal, top, bottom and any details on it. and $50. for a full story and details.)
2. You should learn as much as you can, there are many good Carousel books out there, we also have several in stock, please check your local library.
3. The boats are in…several boats loaded with carousel horse reproduction, and lately I’ve been seeing a small cow and a frog that are showing up at the market again. We reiterate, there is nothing wrong with them IF they are sold as Current Sizes or Replicas or Reproductions. They are decorative sculptures, not investment grade nor do they have provenance (history, lineage). These were NEVER on carousels, but were produced for the US market. Oh, another new antique is the copy of the French bicycle (Veloipede) Horse). He has a bicycle chain under his neck.
4. Most vintage carousel horses are hollow, with the head, neck, legs and tail carved separately and PERMANENTLY FIXED. The ears and tails were never allowed to be disassembled….
5. The carving on the two sides of a carousel horse is not the same, since you don’t see the inside of the horse from the viewing areas, the companies didn’t spend the money to have the horses detailed on both sides (except some English). and European horses). The jewelry used to be only on the outside, but there are always some exceptions.
6. The carousel manes were on the outside of the horse, just like a live one, not on both sides, not the same on both sides, they don’t look like they were carved with a rake.
7. Authentic carvings are smooth and well finished with no chisel marks or rough areas.
8. The hole and post go through the entire horse and coincide (except track machine horses, which do not have a top post).
9. The ultimate scam is to strip the horse and leave it out in the open to crack and age.
10. Coca Cola did NOT make any carousel horses, they are all illegal Mexican reproductions on illegally copied Coca Cola bases. They were never on carousels and were never associated with Coca Cola.