Before I begin my AHN build, is my graflex vintage?

Lichtbringer said:
Red button and glasseye are easy replaceable.

Having some of them in stash, also bunny ears with rivets - vintage stuff. Combined with some other stored parts they could easily be used to "upgrade" any of replicas in a way it´s hard to say if they are vintage or replica.

Especially on pics. I wouldn´t wonder if this has be done already to fake vintage graflexes for selling them for more. Today i wouldn´t trust any offer anymore.
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That's good to keep in mind. But it's really sad that the prop world has come to a point where people are cheating others out of their money. It's one thing to make an amazingly accurate replica that has a little nuance to let collectors know it's fake, but that people would upgrade a fake to cheat people is awful. I guess it's probably been going on for a long time.

I wonder how I'm supposed to verify its authenticity then....


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If it makes any difference I didn't purchase this from another prop collector or saber enthusiast. It came from an eBay store that sells antiques.


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The fact you showed the G R A F L E X reflector dome in the back made me almost certain this piece came from either a photographer's collection or as you mentioned an antique store :)

Chaïm
 
JRHunter13 said:
That's good to keep in mind. But it's really sad that the prop world has come to a point where people are cheating others out of their money. It's one thing to make an amazingly accurate replica that has a little nuance to let collectors know it's fake, but that people would upgrade a fake to cheat people is awful. I guess it's probably been going on for a long timek
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Blame the stupid people that started to pay those insane prices - these prices make people greedy.

It wasn´t a big problem when replicas were going for 200 and real around 300-350, but now, with real ones going for around 4x what you pay for a replica........

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Sym-Cha said:
The fact you showed the G R A F L E X reflector dome in the back made me almost certain this piece came from either a photographer's collection or as you mentioned an antique store :)

Chaïm
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Shall i show you the boxes with reflectors i have no use for? :lol
 
Lichtbringer said:
Blame the stupid people that started to pay those insane prices - these prices make people greedy.

It wasn´t a big problem when replicas were going for 200 and real around 300-350, but now, with real ones going for around 4x what you pay for a replica........

- - - Updated - - -



Shall i show you the boxes with reflectors i have no use for? :lol
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So are you saying that my graflex is a fake, or that there is no way to tell? Thanks for your contribution to the discussion! Even though the points you are making are pretty dismal.


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No, i don´t do either, for this specific graflex.

But today i would only give a real/not real statement on recognizeable (bad) fakes, or on pieces i have in real in my hands.

Maybe yours is real (probably it is), but i wouldn´t bet money on that.
 
Lichtbringer said:
No, i don´t do either, for this specific graflex.

But today i would only give a real/not real statement on recognizeable (bad) fakes, or on pieces i have in real in my hands.

Maybe yours is real (probably it is), but i wouldn´t bet money on that.
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I'm going to take the "probably it is" and keep that in mind. I've held replicas before and they felt different than this. I'm not saying I would know for sure. Just that there is something very real about the way it has aged. You clearly know way more than I do, obviously, so I appreciate your knowledge. It's good to air on the side of caution. All I can say is that I've gone through quite a few informative replica vs real posts here and elsewhere and checked everything I could think of that would lead me to believe it could be fake, or parts of it could be fake. So far my findings have all led me to believe that it's the genuine article. But I'm a newbie, I could have missed something. Also, reading it all has just made me more paranoid! That's why I first posted! I wanted input from people like you.

Still here listening to other people's input!


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Thank you everyone!!! I'll still be here listening to anyone else who has comments or opinions. I'm not sure if I should continue on with my build in this thread or make another. What's the correct way to proceed according to forum rules?


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Hey @James Kenobi 1138 ! Do you have a Parks V1 or a photo of one from the top looking down on the Red Button hole? I know the current replicas are not round nor as complete a circle in the "shoulders" when viewed from above/below.

Hey @JRHunter13 ! Flip that Red Button out to the side and take a close up picture of it from below and from the front where you can see the "protractor" ends coming together. I don't know a thing about the Parks V1, but that's another area where the current replicas are off.
 
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Ridire Firean said:
Hey @James Kenobi 1138 ! Do you have a Parks V1 or a photo of one from the top looking down on the Red Button hole? I know the current replicas are not round nor as complete a circle in the "shoulders" when viewed from above/below.

Hey @JRHunter13 ! Flip that Red Button out to the side and take a close up picture of it from below and from the front where you can see the "protractor" ends coming together. I don't know a thing about the Parks V1, but that's another area where the current replicas are off.
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Thank you for letting me know! I will do just that! I'm unfortunately super busy right now and tonight, so if I don't have time to snap a pic before I get to sleep I'll do it first thing tomorrow! I hope you'll be around to take a look! I'll reply to you again but with the pictures attached.


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D48thRonin said:
I'd say just the accumulation of dirt alone points to it being real. I don't think I've ever seen anyone go to those kind of lengths on a forgery - that would be really ambitious.
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I feel the same. The way it's built up reminds me very much of other old poorly kept antiques. Like the ones sitting in my grandfathers window. [emoji28] I had Scott Juarez (the man who wrote the "authentic vs. replica guidelines" threads here on the rpf) tell me on the post I made in the "graflex addicts support group" Facebook group that he fully believed it to be %100 authentic based on my pictures. Though he did say there is no way to tell if all of the parts are from the same original flash gun. But there is no way we will ever know that! (Is there?) honestly, I don't care if they are from different guns, I just want them all to be vintage.

Anyway, I'm keeping this going, partially because I'm curious to see if anyone can spot anything. In my head though I just don't think it's fake. Like you said, the level of uniform funk this puppy has accumulated would be quite the undertaking for somebody to have done to a replica. Dirt, greasiness, and dust on top of that. I feel like I can tell real weathering from a weathering job as well.

I'm still going to get the button photo posted though. I'm enjoying this conversation.


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It feels like we are at a level where someone could make a living by providing a G R A F L E X verification service. I suspect a decent 3D scan would provide enough information. Kind of like the art world where people determine whether its a real Van Gogh or not.
 
Any information that I receive on here I take very seriously and think over carefully. And I'll say it again. Thank you everyone who has aided me in the search for the answer. Keeping this going, but I won't be able to provide more pictures until tomorrow morning.


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fezfox said:
It feels like we are at a level where someone could make a living by providing a G R A F L E X verification service. I suspect a decent 3D scan would provide enough information. Kind of like the art world where people determine whether its a real Van Gogh or not.
Click to expand...

When I originally posted asking for help, I had no idea the rabbit hole would be this deep. But I'm in here now.


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Looks like the right kind of pitting and rust that you would see on a vintage. Pretty hard to recreate that on a replica.

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