I hope no-one on this forum was the buyer of those repro motoring signs. They attracted uncomfortably large bids. Only the cement enamel was genuine.

How the chuffin' 'ell do we stop it?

Primarily one big provider of all this nasty stuff, cleverly touting it all over the country, here there & everywhere - and he stands at Newark & Swinderby (well, did).

Damaging the hobby massively and I think there really is only one way out. Very rare that collectors bandy together but WE MUST.

Next time somat appears online in an auction that is dodgy - post the link on here and EVERYONE, but EVERYONE contact the auctioneers. Berate the "this man is peddling this crap all over the place! PLEASE remove from your sale?"

It WOULD WORK if lots of us joined/ rallied together.

In some ways it's not unlike this bloody corona virus - united we stand, divided we fall. Tell the salesrooms/ stamp it out - pester/ nag/ again & again - and if they don't, and the salesroom is near to you - arrive on sale day gung ho (it's all online - so folks can hear you if you make a scene) - as the lot is held up "excuse me - did you know.....?

All sounds a bit drastic, but I feel there's enough on this forum to bandy together....

 I feel sorry for people who pay good money for signs that they beleive to be genuine but are not. Knowledge in any collecting field comes over time and with experience and a trained eye. Unfortunately some auction houses don't have much experience when it comes to handling enamel signs. Others simply turn a blind eye. It all boils down to what is legal and what amounts to fraud. If all reproductions (and suspected reproductions) were clearly described as such in catalogues and at the point of sale I don't suppose anyone would be breaking the law. The prices of repros compared to originals often gives them away - ie the price is often 'too good to be true'. Leave well alone! Some motoring collectors simply want a few signs for their old garage that look the business rather than investments for the future, but at least they should be well aware that they are NOT genuine at point of purchase. Making a sign look old should be classed as fraud as its a deliberate deception. A high profile exposure involving Trading Standards would surely put auction houses on alert. Fair organisers can also play a part and outlaw sellers of reproductions as do BBR to their great credit. As for the internet sites I don't think the sale of repro's is particularly high on their list of priorities. 

There is no doubt that sign collecting has been severely damaged by reproductions.

FB