I Think I Found A Bunch Of Fake Corks On Ebay?

I see quite a bit from this guy's cork selection that has to be fake! I know from first hand experience having recently made a cork I know how things turn out while carving plus a lot of these aren't even documented types! at best crude variations. I'm convinced at least some of these are bogus! What do you think?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/35072283090....m1438.l2648

http://www.ebay.com/itm/35072283166....m1438.l2648

http://www.ebay.com/itm/35072283317....m1438.l2648

There are quite a few more that at first glance might fool you but closer inspection reveals the same hand.

If they're fake, the age of the ink can be identified.

The ink isn't really that difficult to manufacture so it would appear correct. Just food for thought.

The first and third definitely look goofy. The middle one is questionable as well.

ILS, if analyzed, the ink can tell the year it was made and the manufacturer.

It is possible to make pigment ink using the ingredients used in the past which will pass forensic analysis. Eric Hebborn, surely the best of all the art forgers, tells how to do it in his book " The Art Forger's Hanbook". Out of print but copies in various conditions on Amazon from £45 to £120. ($68 to $182).

Terry

They look too good to be true for their age. Wouldn't ink of any sort wear off or be transfered to other paper or glassine even by now? The cancels look bright and sharp mostly.

Yeah they just don't look right to me for period original corks. I had recently made a cork and know how they have to be handled as well as the initial design choices for "the beginner" lol and these fall nicely into that category. I think these are fakes.

Depends on the composition of the ink and how it was made. Inks made by the Egyptians 5000 years ago and used for writings and drawings on papyrus are still bright and legible today. Some inks made in the renaissance have changed colour and having an acidic content they have gradually etched holes in many old masters' drawings. Many modern dye based inks made for artists today will fade quite quickly in exposure to light, others of higher quality and pigment based will have greater permanence and light fastness.

Terry

Hebborn's book is a great read - one of my favorite art books. His first book Drawn To Trouble is pretty good too.

Anything you can test for can be faked. Also the cost of testing is huge. Hardly worth it with these stamps.

Hi peterc4,

I learnt more about the old masters and their methods from Hebborn's book than I did the whole time I was at art school. He was a fine and accomplished artist and knew more about the works of the great painters than many of the so called experts and dealers, many of whom did not know the basic and significant difference between sepia and bistre inks. And still don't.

Terry