Regarding the following Reynolds 531 Anniversary sticker on Ebay:
Item number 7168176493
I asked the seller the following question:
"You seem to have an abundant supply of very hard to get decals/stickers. Are these reproductions?"
To which he replied:
"Dead on the mark - but not quite. Most of the decals I am selling are actually ones that I have been putting aside over the years. The problem with them, and especially the Reynolds ones, is that they have been very often impossible to apply as they tend to break, or shatter as you attempt to place them on your $500 repaint - and paying $30 for the privelage. So--- I have been having them reproduced with results being that the artwork is better defined, they are simple to apply, they are thinner than water-slides but extremely strong, UV resistant for at least 5 years unprotected, and make the originals look quite ordinary in comparison. Most reproductions (and I have purchased plenty) have second rate graphics, trimming and incorrect detail. My ones have watermark ripples, fingerprints and whatever is essential to be dead accurate - and new! All of my customers have had nothing but praise - which I am grateful for. There are more coming - and Fiamme, Mavic, Nervex and special Colnago, more Reynolds. My aim, as a collector of steel bikes, is to offer a service to other collectors that will make sourcing decals, ones that have never been available as well, simple and cheap without the drama of having to wait a week and bid."
I wanted to say, "in other words, yes, they are reprodcutions, spare me the hard sell and backpedalling."
My response to him was:
"How can I be dead on, but not quite? This sounds a lot like the ubiquitous "barely-used NOS" parts that I see on Ebay. While I don't question that your repros are more convenient, better looking and longer lasting than the originals, all of these things make them different from the originals and some of these things make them visually distinguishable from the originals. Personally, I might have use for some of your repros, but in my opionion as a collector, you should provide a bit more background in your auctions, and include the word "reproduction" in the auction titles. Your response below does a great job of extolling the virtues of your reproductions, it even makes me want to buy some, but should I have to "ask the seller a question" in order to get this info? It's a slippery slope. Anyone reselling your stuff is likely to mistakenly represent it as original, potentially putting them in an embarassing position. 531 stickers are not the same as valuable postage stamps or oil paintings, but the line between reproduction and fake/forgery/counterfeit can be hazy."
To the CR list I first offer apologies if this particular operation has been discussed and dissected before. BUT... it never ceases to amaze me how people can be so self-assured when they are doing things that are so clearly suspect. Include the word "reproduction" in the auction (preferably up front, in the title) and all suspicion goes away. Don't say it, and give some song and dance that is a small step from "but it's a BETTER inverted Jenny than the Beaureau of Printing and Engraving did," and my excitement wanes. I've been around long enough to know that nobody has as many desirable decals from as broad a timespan as I found in his "sellers other items," and that if they did they still would put $15 BINs on these things. But what of the guy who doesn't get this and therefore doesn't bother to ask, "are these real?"
Yes, these are just stickers, not oil paintings, but it is hardly as though I'm making a distinction where none exists. The fact that he says, "My aim, as a collector of steel bikes, is to offer a service to other collectors..." Says it all. He knows collectors are involved, they are his target market. He has to know that originality matters to most collectors. I'm just thrilled to know that all of his customers have had nothing but praise; I just wonder if that would hold true if they all knew they had repros.
Tom Dalton Bethlehem, PA
---------------------------------
Sell on Yahoo! Auctions - No fees. Bid on great items.