Socialist Competition Banner - opinions please

[AllThingsCCCP]

Hello all!

I'm deeply skeptical of a socialist competition banner that I recently bought from a seller I will not name (I think it is against the rules of the forum, otherwise I’d scream it from the hills!). I have several old banners to compare to and something about this one just doesn't sit right. It is supposed to be from the '60s. The velvet has that aged look, feel, and smell that old cloth does and the stitching seems correct as well. It is also wearing and unraveling in the same places and in the same way as my other banners. The problem is the image of Lenin, which is painted in the middle of the banner. My first impression was that it looks new. The paint is very crisp, and the image shows no signs of age at all. No chipping, no wear, nothing, just a perfect image of Lenin in profile. Yet 50 years old! I have banners from the late ‘70s early ‘80s with painted images, they are chipping all over the place.

If it was only the image I would reject it immediately, but the velvet seems old. I just don't know what to think. It could be an excellent piece that I should be proud to own. It isn't a big money item, so why would you go through the effort to fake such a thing? I’m at work now, but I’ll take some pictures when I get home and post them.

I’m often overly skeptical, so I’d love some input from people more objective and experienced than I. Thanks!