[Mccoypottery-talk] repro weight & Kovels

[Rosemary Carlson]

I ran across an antiques shop that openly sold reproductions of just about
everything. Reproductions of depression glass! McCoy. Roseville. And much
more. The owner thought there was absolutely nothing wrong with this as long
as, if someone asked, he said a piece was a repro. I'm not an experienced
McCoy collector at all - but I am experienced with Roseville, Weller, and
most depression glass. Roseville is incredibly easy to spot a repro. So is
the depression glass if you look closely. He also had a bunch of McCoy
cookie jars - all repro. They are lighter in weight, significantly so. So is
the Roseville, glass, etc.

Weight has been one of my major tools in spotting repros -- which is why I'm
handicapped with regard to buying anything online! Repros look cheap to me
also, though I can't, in words, really define what looks "cheap."

The bottom line is that there are lots of folks out there unwittingly
selling repros that they think is the real thing -- as when they bought it,
no one "told them" it was a repro. The guy who owns the aforementioned
antiques shop asked ME how to tell a real Roseville from a repro.
UNBELIEVABLE. Luckily, I could tell him. He told me that, only a few days
before I was there, a man came in a bought almost ALL his "repro"
Roseville.......but the man didn't ask if they were repros and paid lots of
money for what was basically nothing. That stuff is probably, now, either on
eBay or in some antiques shop somewhere......priced as "real" Roseville.

BTW, if anyone collects Roseville as I do, watch out for very good repros.
China is making and we are importing excellent Roseville repros. I can
usually tell the difference - the glaze is flat, the finish is poor, the
weight is lighter. On the bottom, you'll see the REAL Roseville mark - BUT
the USA is barely there, if at all. That is the give-away. An inexperienced
collector or shopper for Roseville - no way could they tell the difference
between a Chinese-made piece and a real Roseville.

On eBay, for example, I'm sure there are shysters that KNOW they are selling
repros. But, there are also folks selling what they THINK is the real
thing - and it is not.

I'm gradually learning how to spot a fake McCoy -- but I've only been
collecting McCoy a short while.

One note. I've found that, at estate sales, repros are less common. From
households that have been there since the 30s and 40s, you usually get the
real deal. I've had more success with estate sales and auctions that with
flea markets and antique shows.

BTW, I've learned lots from the Kovel's show on HGTV, as well as their
website.

Just my 2 cents. Like I said, I seem to be chatty tonight. :)

Rosemary in KY



----- Original Message -----
From: "acp" <acpearce@io.com>
To: <mccoypottery-talk@lists.mccoypottery.com>
Sent: Sunday, June 22, 2003 1:57 AM
Subject: [Mccoypottery-talk] repro weight & Kovels


>
> Just musing....
>
> This afternoon on Flea Market Finds (HGTV) or whatever the real
> name of the show is, the Kovels showed a McCoy piece and said
> there are reproductions out there, but if you could see both, you'd
> be able to tell the repro.  They say they are "lighter" in weight than
> the real thing.  I wonder if this is characteristic of other repros, as
> well.
>
> acp
> -----------
>
>
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