Currently (1997 to present), some people from the Northeast have added a twist upon the glass sign rip-off. They have taken old glass panes from what appears to be jalousie windows and/or doors and painted them with a RR company in big gold letters. The glass is about 4" x 28". They make the sign by spraying gold-leaf paint through a silk screen that has been made up with a company name. There is also a 1/4" box-border in the silk screen. When the paint is dry, they spray a heavy black or light maroon paint on the back. Their hook is to occasionally have one of the panes with the word, "TICKETS" under the company name.
They always use gold letters. The background can be any color. They never use a company that has many letters. Apparently, this makes the name too long to use on the 28" piece of glass. Of course, now that the scheme is making a lot of money, they can use any size glass & any variety of colors.
At this point, I want to talk a little about how RRs sold tickets in order to make you readers understand why these signs are bogus. Airline companies are the modern equivalent to what the railroad companies were, and they sell tickets in their facilities. Each airline has their own desk prominently advertised. This is what we think of when tickets are mentioned. From the earliest days of the RR companies, they never had to have their own facility or desk. Many stations & depots were "Union" facilities meaning they had shared ownership amongst a number of railroad companies. Even those depots owned by a single railroad company never posted signs with their name. There was no need to do so. If it had be done, it would have been considered extremely poor taste & tacky. It would only generate animosity from the other companies who shared in ticket revenue.
A ticket window in any RR depot or station sold tickets for every company in America or Canada. The funds generated by those tickets were divided up among the various railroad companies on a pro-rata basis depending on how many miles of track used by each traveler during the course of their journey.
Thus, a traveler never had occasion to go to a Pennsy, Southern, B&O, or New York Central window to get their tickets. They simply went to "the ticket window(s)" or off-site travel agent. Thus, there was never a reason for any RR company to have individual signs like this made! Show me a publicity photo of any station in America with the name of a particular railroad over the ticket window or let one of the many former ticket-agents write to correct me. If I receive one, I will pass it on. Of course, the larger RR companies tried very hard to influence rider's ticket buying decisions when there was competing track to a particular location. They did this by making beautiful booklets & posters. They hoped that station-masters would display them in their facilities.
The seller of the above bogus glass signs has been described as a white female, in her mid-thirties, driving a van w/Mass. plates. She goes into every antique shop & flea-market in a particular area. She offers to sell these "old signs that were recently found in a warehouse." She offers the signs in groups of (5) w/one bearing "TICKETS" for $100. If the shopkeeper balks, she quickly comes down in price depending how good a negotiator the shopkeeper is. This woman has literally criss-crossed the country many times. I will be happy to give free publicity to these crooks if anyone has more specific info.
Again, these glass signs look "sooo old and soooo good." They don't hesitate to use glass panes that have small chips. It seems to add authenticity to the bogus sign. I am attaching a recent eBay offering.
In the fall of 1998, these same crooks tried a variation by offering
signs with the names of the World Series participants. Since then,
I have seen other variations (Woolworth, Coca-Cola, etc.) of these
same glass signs at antique shows & flea-markets. The possibilities
for fraud are limitless. These signs will continue being made
as long as there are dishonest dealers willing to buy them
and pass them off as "old." Before moving on to a different
subject, sometimes misrepresenting what an item actually is can be
just as fraudulent as producing a phony item.
Before leaving the subject of bogus glass items, I want to warn readers of something that has been around for many years. Most knowledgeable collectors stay away from glass items that have a RR name or initials cut into them. Almost all are bogus. Back in the 1850s & 60s, lantern companies did cut RR initials into fixed-globe lanterns to identify them. Most of the time, the metal frames were not marked. These early markings were very distinctive because of the tools used. Once you see one of these lantern globes so marked, you won't forget it. The tools used had grooves that left ridges in the letters. These great old globes are extremely rare.
Now comes the crook. They use a tool that grinds the glass & leaves solid letters that are ground into the glass. Remember, manufacturers never used this type of tool to mark mass-produced items that were bought by railroads because it took too much time to complete. The RRs never bought just a few items. They bought in quantity for the lowest price. The fastest way to mark glass is by using a blast of sand through a silk screen. I talked about this earlier. A sand-blast leaves a very soft marking that does not weaken the glass object & allows it to hold up well during cleaning. Now, cleaver crooks are taking old glass objects that are similar to what was used in dining cars. They get a person who is skilled in grinding glass. For a few dollars, these artists will grind anything you want. Every large tourist attraction in America has at least one of these grinders. In 1972, my gorgeous bride & I went to Florida's Disney World for our honeymoon. I had a grinder do a heart w/our names & wedding date on a large, thin, goblet. We still have it.
My point is, BEWARE OF ALL GLASS ITEMS W/GROUND LETTERS. Below is a recent ebay offering of a SOUTHERN RY glass water carafe. It was #386587366. It carried a $300 minimum. The seller was an antique shop In the Shenandoah Valley of VA. Although I didn't see it in person, I am willing to bet dollars to donuts that it is a clever fraud. It is a clever fraud because it utilizes the early SR-arrow logo that relatively few collectors are familiar with. This was used as the 1st Southern logo after the 1894 reorganization that created Southern Ry. Knowing the history of a company greatly aids in having a good understanding of what may have been used & when it was used. An excellent source of information about any railroad that operated in or through Georgia including Southern Ry, see my book, GHOST TRAINS & DEPOTS OF GEORGIA. Pardon the plug. Going back to the SR-arrow logo, it was used on many things. Most important to collectors, it was used on silverplate in the 1st SOUTHERN dining cars from about 1895 to 1915. I have never seen that logo used on a glass item like a lantern globe or water glass. If it was, it would have been sand-blasted on. The logo is obviously ground.
For years, people have been stating that the small 3" in diameter
or rectangle aluminum RR signs were issued by the companies to mark
equipment. Dealers will ask $15 to $30 each. NOW for the rest of the
story. In about 1955, the Post breakfast cereal company came out with
a promotion for children to collect a 28-piece set in a railroad series.
For a couple dollars and a box-top, anyone could get this 28 piece
set of brightly painted RR logos. Today, these premiums are worth $5
to $10 each. I am happy to say, that since I have been putting this
info out. Many more sellers are correctly identifying these neat
little logos.
Police badges is another subject that burns my old cop-butt. Any one who pays more than $30 or $35 for a railroad police badge, unless they know for sure who carried that badge, is nuts. In my police career, I never received a badge before I had a photo ID. Why do the badges that are now being offered for sale never have an accompanying photo ID? Go to your local police department and ask the chief what he pays for the most ornate badge in his department which is usually his. He will tell you it is less than $50. Now, use a little imagination. Many old-time badge-making companies are still in-business. Every large city has at least one. The equipment to make badges is relatively simple. How difficult is it for an enterprising employee of a badge company to start making fantasy badges or borrow from the company's archives? Its as easy as putting an auction in eBay.
To show how easy it is to make BOGUS badges, I am attaching a scan of a breast-badge that recently appeared on eBay. This badge is ludicrous & illustrates the lengths that a crook will go to hook an unsuspecting collector. The WESTERN & ATLANTIC RR was one of the most historic railroad companies that ever operated in America. It was charted & owned by the State of Georgia in 1836 to build a 136-mile line from Atlanta to Chattanooga, Tenn. It figured prominently during the Civil War especially because of the Great Chase between the two locomotives the General & the Texas. This tremendously exciting event along with the history of the W&A RR and every other RR company that operated in Georgia from 1833 to 1933, is detailed in the book, GHOST TRAINS & DEPOTS OF GEORGIA which is available on our home-page. The right-of-way between Atlanta and Chattanooga is still owned by the State of Georgia along with ownership of the WESTERN & ATLANTIC RR name.
What makes the subject badge ludicrous is the fact that the RR name
is mis-stated by leaving off the ampersand "&" between WESTERN-ATLANTIC.
Over-kill is sticking a steam locomotive on the badge. Lastly,
the crooked maker wants more of a hook and puts, "CONFEDERATE STATES
OF AMERICA" on the face of the badge. Lastly, this style breast-badges
was used almost exclusively by traction conductors beginning in
about 1895. Unfortunately, there is currently no law against making
phony badges, only using them to impersonate a police-officer.
I personally believe that 99% of all police badges,
including railroad, Texas Ranger, and Indian Territory Police
badges currently being offered for sale by non-guaranteeing sellers
are bogus. More and more badges, like other bogus items, will be
made as long as there are suckers who will pay big bucks for them
and not ask the seller to guarantee them as being old and original.
For some reason brass is a favorite metal of the forgers.
It seems people are quick to buy brass items thinking the items are
old. Maybe it reminds them of gold. Today, any RR artifact made of
brass other than keys, locks, and lanterns should be viewed
suspiciously as "fools gold." All of the 9" x 9" logo plaques
(NYC and PENNSY are the most common) are bogus. For three years,
I have annually gone by an antique mall that has the most ornate
BIG FOUR brass plaque with the Maltese Cross logo. It is priced
at a very resonable $195, if authentic. I am almost certain that
it is authentic because I have never seen another. But, because
of the bogus plaques, I am reluctant to buy it. I am not sure that
the owner doesn't have a stack of them and is putting one out at a
time. This is the great danger of bogus items. People become fearful
of being taken and all of our collections are devalued. In reality,
the rail companies tried to avoid using brass any where except where
spark avoidance or moisture resistance was important. Brass was an
expensive metal and if not plated with something like nickel or silver,
it would tarnish easily. Unlike hotels, the rail companies did not
employ brass polishers.
There are some fakes that are so good that the most advanced collector
gets taken. Many of these fakes can be seen and thereby avoided by
having read the book, "RAILROAD DETECTIVE". This is an excellent
resource for you to have and to carry with you during your hunts.
This 55-page, photo filled, softcover book details many of the known
reproduction and bogus railroad artifacts. It explains how to
distinquish between the real and the phony. You can obtain this book
from our website now on sale for 12.95
postage-paid. Another excellent source for bogus RR china, is
Richard Luckin's book, DINING ON RAILS. He devotes an entire
section to the subject with excellent photos. However, he like
most writers except me, fails to name names.
If you know of a crook and would like to give him some free
advertising, send me a detailed and signed letter by snail mail.
REMEMBER, there is a way to prevent being ripped-off by these
con-artists. Always ask the seller to give you a money-back
guarantee in writing that the item is original and old.
If they won't, don't buy it. When you encounter a crook don't be
afraid to look them in the eye and call them a crook. I have done
this with each and everyone of the above mentioned worthless human
beings. Lastly, this is a hobby. Never pay a lot of money for
anything unless you win the lottery. If you do, call me quick.
In reality, this is all junk. Nice junk, but still junk.
FLASH: I just returned from a trip to St. Louis, MO.(9-15-99)
For the 1st time ever, I spotted a bogus step-stool made from heavy
cast aluminum and painted black. It is the small size. At first,
I thought it was unmarked. However, careful examination revealed
that an attempt was made to have an "SP Co." in raised letters on
the side, but the metal flattened out during casting. Even the usual
rubber feet were cast aluminum. The RRs always used rubber feet to
avoid slipping on water or ice. This sucker would slide like a
snow ski if it was placed on ice. You Mid-westerners can see this
thing in the St. Claire Antique Mall, Fairview Heights, IL at
Hwy 159 & I-64. It can be yours for just $125.00. Shame on the
dummy crooks.
UPDATE ON St. Louis: I just returned from another trip to the St. Louis area & stopped in at the St. Claire Mall & the bogus step-stool (or another) was still there. The price had been reduced to $95. At the Univ. of MO giant flea-market, I ran into an import dealer who had the same aluminum step-stools. He told me they were made in Mexico. Now we know.
Speaking of Mexico reminds me to mention the large number of Mexican-made brass switch keys that were made about 15 years ago. They keep turning up on ebay. All of these keys bear western & southwestern road names. They are crudely made & all have the same key-cut which looks like the last PENNSY & later, PENN CENTRAL cut.
I have mentioned items & people throughout this discussion. A reader
reminded me that within the railroadiana hobby often a place
can become "infamous" for bogus items when one or more crooks
get together to screw unsuspecting buyers. One of the most infamous
places for this in the U.S. is "Sullivan, Illinois." Apparently,
there is a railroad gift shop or hobby shop that buys every
bogus railroad item that has ever been made. In turn, they offer
these items in their store, in catalogs, & on the internet under the
guise of not knowing anything about the origin. As far as I am
concerned, any person who buys imported items & fails to
disclose this to a buyer is a crook. I will be happy to give the
Sullivan, Illinois people some free advertising if anyone can provide
me their names & copies of their ads. Until then, be suspicious of any
artifact seller with a Sullivan, Illinois mailing address.
LASTLY, I AM NOT A PUBLIC LIBRARY, PLEASE DON'T ASK FOR A
FREE APPRAISAL. I DO APPRAISALS FOR A NOMINAL CHARGE. PLEASE DON'T
ASK FOR MY OPINION ABOUT SOMETHING UNLESS I CAN SEE THE ITEM OR A
GOOD PICTURE. I WILL BE MOST APPRECIATIVE TO ACCEPT DOCUMENTED
INFORMATION ABOUT NEW FRAUDS: Les Winn, E-mail;
rrdepot5@msn.com