Real or Fake Graflex?

C

cnccus

New Member
Ok so like everybody here, I saw the infamous Graflex in the new trailer for TFA. It made me freak out, and then I instantly thought to myself, am I ever going to get an opportunity to get one after everyone sees it and the price of a real Graflex skyrockets. I foolishly and hastily(extreme emphasis on hastily) went to ebay and bought one...stupid, I know. The price was just as bad as I had feared it would be, but I bought one, nonetheless. I just got it in the mail, and I'm rather disappointed. The bottom and the clamp show all the signs of wear and tear, rust and corrosion on the inside, and scratches to boot. No big deal, until you look closely at the top section....its almost too clean. The beer tab, the glass eye, (missing the button which the seller was trying to hide by not showing many pictures at various angles) The bunny ears, aside from a few small scratches, seems to be pristine. Then there is the screw holding them in place, as opposed to the rivet. All of these together is making me think that I received a half real, half replica Graflex, and I wanted your opinion before I contact the seller. He was purposely very vague about the description and pictures, which I realize now that I think about it, should have been a major red flag to me. The price I paid was excessive, for what I believe is a replica. What do you guys think?
The original auction:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=171754643211
What I received(sorry about the cell phone pictures, I'm no photographer. I turned the flash on to see it better, not sure if that helped or made it worse):
http://imgur.com/a/R225Q
 
No, it's not. The square pin bases, the brass connection facing the "bottom" instead of the top, and the screw in the bunny ears are all early Parks replica give aways.

The bottom and clamp might be though. Checking the pictures again for you.
 
Unfortunately I think you're out of luck. The seller never claimed it was genuine, states to ask any questions before bidding, and doesn't accept returns. Chalk it up as a lesson learned? You did manage to get it for less than some others are going for...
 
I've handled a lot of these units and have to agree with the above. It seems it was cobbled together from a real bottom and clamp mated to a replica top. I'm a little suspicious of the clamp as well, but it looks like it's seen some action at least while the top is too clean, although who knows.
 
Probe Droid said:
I've handled a lot of these units and have to agree with the above. It seems it was cobbled together from a real bottom and clamp mated to a replica top. I'm a little suspicious of the clamp as well, but it looks like it's seen some action at least while the top is too clean, although who knows.
Click to expand...

Kevin Gossett said:
Unfortunately I think you're out of luck. The seller never claimed it was genuine, states to ask any questions before bidding, and doesn't accept returns. Chalk it up as a lesson learned? You did manage to get it for less than some others are going for...
Click to expand...

Thanks for looking into it, at this point do I have any options? Or did he cover his own behind by being purposely vague and my foolishness to not ask questions beforehand? Its less than the current prices of a real graflex, but I'm still out $300 for only half of a Graflex.

As for the clamp, its my understanding that they originally were manufactered with black paint on the lettering of GRAFLEX around the band? If thats the case, I can detect some remaining black paint in the corners of the L E X letters. The inside of it has traces of rust and everything.
 
I have never heard anything like that.

cnccus said:
As for the clamp, its my understanding that they originally were manufactered with black paint on the lettering of GRAFLEX around the band? If thats the case, I can detect some remaining black paint in the corners of the L E X letters. The inside of it has traces of rust and everything.
Click to expand...
 
He stated he was selling a used Graflex. He sold you a replica Graflex, not the same thing. Despite his no returns policy, if the item does not match the description, I would expect Ebay to side with you if a dispute were to be filed...
 
The only clamp with the correc placement was the old Romans, and he's not doing the correct-placement ones anymore. Also, Romans were aluminium.
 
The bottom and clamp are real genuine G R A F L E X parts ... no question ... the top is indeed a replica as mentioned by my peers ... though I understand that you might feel cheated ... sometimes sellers don't really know what we here on therpf do ... so his claim and I quote : 'Used Graflex 3 Cell Flash Gun, the same type used in the first Star Wars trilogy for Luke Skywalker's Lightsaber.' might be honestly what he believed to have up for auction. So what can you do now? 3 options ... 1) Keep everything and purchase an ANH kit from Roy ... 2) Seperate the 3 parts and re-sell them seperatley at $150 the part but be honest about the top 3 cell and be able to afford a real complete and prestine G R A F L E X from 3cell ... or 3) ditch the replica top 3 cell and get a real genuine top by posting a WTB in the Junkyard or check whether 3cell or someone else has one coming in soon :)

Chaim
 
Yeah the good news is you have the genuine part thats usually harder to come by - the 3 cell bottom. 2 cells are easier to come by and you'll get a genuine top. Just wait for the hype to die down, so the prices come down some. Don't be in such a rush. The 3 cell flash isnt super rare. There are plenty of them out there, so there's no reason to pay these inflated prices.
 
In fact, you could resell it and you would get even a higher price today than what you paid, and then buy another one, completly genuine for less when the hype is down.
 
As for the G R A F L E X text being painted black ... I'm not certain ... it could easily have been accumelated grease and dirt from handling ... and the little crevases of the embossed letters just hold onto it . . . if the clamp did not get a proper cleaning. Someone may correct me if I am mistaken :)

Guys . . . the hype is just getting started . . . again . . . with Episode VII right around the corner . . . don't hold your breath for the hype to settle down that quickly . . . especially when Princess Leia or any of her siblings are going to handle the G R A F L E X based lightsaber . . . for the next trilogy :lol

Chaim
 
In that case, having the grease in the crevices may confirm the authenticity of the clamp. An aluminum clamp wouldn't have rust on the inside where it met the two halves of the flash, right?
Thanks everybody for all the advice. I think I figured out what this guy did... he has 100% positive feedback except for one other auction....this one:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Graflex-3-C...D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
Am I seeing correctly, The vintage top with a pristine looking bottom? This buyer said "BUYER BEWARE!!! Read the fine print and look at the photos closely, dang it"
Did the seller buy a $150 replica and an orginal, mishmach the parts and sell two items, split them in half and sell both at the inflated price? What do you guys think?
*EDIT* It even has a picture showing the rivet holding the bunny ears in place
 
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