Does anyone have any experience with faked flags and banners? I try to avoid the ones that look too new, but I am not sure of what specifically to look for when buying a flag or banner. Does anyone have any ideas?
while i have seen fake WWII and pre-war unit flags for the red army and NKVD, i have yet to see fake postwar award banners...they were made in such huge numbers that I really doubt they would need to fake them. They don't really sell for that much, so there is not much incentive.
I am certainly no expert in this field, but I have been offered "repro" Soviet labour flags, and even pennants. I think they have appeared on the market about a year ago.
i am so amazed by that...i don't really deal in postwar flags, and i am suprised to hear they are faking them...real ones are cheap and in large supply; shy fake? fake a WWII flag, ok, but 1970's labor flags? I guess they fake it all. I'd like to see a fake one of these velvet award banners though; how can real ones be told?
I have passed on some flags like this that look really new, I usually try to get ones with some wear. The big flags like this that I have seen in Estonia usually sell for around $100-$250. I saw one like this sell recently for $280 in half a day, before I had a chance to contact the seller. Some of the bigger ones on ebay sell for alot less, but I don't think they have the nice hand stitching. I am sure the fakers could make a profit, and I am trying to collect only Estonian, the home of fakes.
So, does anyone have any tips on how to spot a fake one of these, aside from basic common sense?
