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Fakes

We specialize in bronze and Iron ancient Artefacts. If we were also interested in selling glass and terracotta it would be a monumental task trying to authenticate all we sell. 

We are VERY confidant that our ancient imports have been genuine and the real thing. We also do regular checks on all our artefacts with no problem to date. Our old supplier is very honest to deal with.

As the supply of small bronze ancient antiquities dries up, demand is increasing worldwide. This leads to European backyard operators manufacturing and copying ancient low-grade artefacts.

Just recently we decided to do some business with a new supplier where we were taken to the cleaners. It was not a great deal of money but still upsetting as we trusted our new supplier.  Below you will see some items that are fakes. Places not to buy from include EBay unless you know precisely what you are looking for. I know EBay is trying to do something about this but it is very difficult for them to control. There are several sellers on EBay that only deal in selling fakes as the real thing. How can they sell 20 terracotta oil lamps a week for 3 years and have them be antiquities?

One of the main characteristics of ancient bronze is the green, grey or black patina, which cannot be removed easily.

Age does change the molecular structure of bronze to present a very hard patina. In most cases an ancient bronze artefact will form a red oxide under the patina but as I have noticed it does not happen with all ancient bronze items. When examining bronze artefacts always look for die marks or signs of casting as ancient items almost never have casting imperfections.

FAKE ROMAN -RING

FAKE ROMAN -BROOCH

FAKE

FAKE -CROSS

FAKE -BYZANTINE CROSS

FAKE -ROMAN RING

It has been suggested to us from a reputable very experienced antiquities dealer that dishonest dealers sell fake items in street fairs in Germany in the spring. These include bronze fibulas by the box of 1000 for 900 euro, 1000 bronze arrowheads for 1500 euro, and Roman bronze coins 10,000 for 1000 euro.   You name it and you can buy fakes in bulk.

      Genuine ancient artefacts will become more difficult and costly to acquire in the future.

    We will see if we can get a much more detailed story about fakes in Diggings Magazine soon

Your Sincerely

Paul & Janis McIsaac