Posted by panchmaster from pool0295.cvx20-bradley.dialup.earthlink.net (209.179.251.40) on Saturday, October 19, 2002 at 8:53PM :
The owner of a famous foundry I worked at in New York was recently busted on charges he was making copies of original sculptures...selling them as if they were original too.
I don't want to say more to prejudice the case...especially as he is of a certain ethnic group and carries a nickel plated .45 Magnum in a holster in his boot.
This is common practise in New York, the gun and the fake art, and everywhere else...and it serves the buyers right, says I. Buy your original art pieces from the one who needs the sale...the original and probably starving artist.
At another foundry I worked at the guy who made the molds used to call us over when one of these lower level crooks would bring in an antique bronze bought somewhere at auction or something...brought in "quietly" to make some rip-off copies. The foundry never let on they knew the customer wasn't the one who made the piece...or that said customer hadn't already been ripped off by someone who'd beat him or her to the trick.
One guy brought in a piece he said was an old antique...he'd filed off any names or dates...it was "THAT old". Said he wanted to make a few copies to give his grandchildren...okay.
We knew he was going to sell them...and we never told him that traces of the investing material inside indicated the piece was no older than twenty years...he'd been ripped off by someone else who ripped-off the original artist...and the rip-off was going to continue...what did we care...though it is illegal.
Very often a respected dealer won't even want to know...if your story is good...they'll pass the deception on. They need to drill out a tiny slot and put a potato chip in there.
-- panchmaster
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