Richard_H
Grand Master
Copied from Tom Derby on FB:
PSA About Fake Mailers Originating from UK Dealer
As many people on these groups are aware, suspected fake bagged vintage Star Wars figures continue to originate from a well-known seller in the UK. The quality of these suspected fakes ranges from easy to spot to nearly impossible depending on the bag type. Types without logos have gotten so difficult to spot that there are certain suspected fake overstock type bags which may be nearly undetectable at this time.
Over the past year I've been researching both the suspected fake bags and now confirmed fake catalog/multi-figure mailers from the same UK source. It is alleged that the source is a dealer named Jeff Glanville. With the help of Steve Bruno from AFA and Frank Mewes, the author of the baggie guides on the SWFUK website and the person who exposed the suspected fake baggies, significant progress has been made towards identifying fake mailers, especially over the past few months. Currently we believe any mailers which trace back to the UK and were purchased between 2013 and the present require extra scrutiny.
The affected mailers include many brown box mailers, most white box mailers which lack the full color ROTJ sticker on the front or other color names printed directly on the box, and the red text Cantina 2-packs.
Up until a few months ago, there was an immense amount of circumstantial evidence but no smoking gun. The fact that hundreds, if not thousands of rare and hard-to-find bags and mailers were coming from the same UK dealer certainly raised suspicion that something was amiss. The fact that certain characteristics differed from known authentic examples was even more alarming. Recent discoveries have now provided the smoking gun and confirmed that many of these were printed using modern ink jet technology, going so far as to print the yellow color under new tape which would be laid on top to give the impression of aged tape.
While I'll share detailed information privately with AFA, CAS, and UKG regarding these fake mailers, I believe the best approach on a public forum is to provide some basic things to watch out for. Providing every minute detail could, in many of these cases, assist counterfeiters with improving their craft and making even better fakes. Please see the attached pictures for some guidelines on how to spot some of these fakes.
If you have questions about a mailer you have, please feel free to message me or Frank Mewes pictures to see if there is cause for concern. If you need me to provide an opinion on a mailer so that you can receive reimbursement from a seller or reimbursement of cost from a grading company, please let me know and I'll be happy to assist. I will caution that these are exceptionally high quality fakes which have taken several leading experts over a year to sort the details out on, so if there is any chance your mailers originated from the UK between 2013-Present, it would be a good idea to get an expert opinion. These fake mailers have been found to contain both suspected fake and verified authentic bags, so even if the bags in your mailers look good, there is still a possibility the box itself could be a fake.
PSA About Fake Mailers Originating from UK Dealer
As many people on these groups are aware, suspected fake bagged vintage Star Wars figures continue to originate from a well-known seller in the UK. The quality of these suspected fakes ranges from easy to spot to nearly impossible depending on the bag type. Types without logos have gotten so difficult to spot that there are certain suspected fake overstock type bags which may be nearly undetectable at this time.
Over the past year I've been researching both the suspected fake bags and now confirmed fake catalog/multi-figure mailers from the same UK source. It is alleged that the source is a dealer named Jeff Glanville. With the help of Steve Bruno from AFA and Frank Mewes, the author of the baggie guides on the SWFUK website and the person who exposed the suspected fake baggies, significant progress has been made towards identifying fake mailers, especially over the past few months. Currently we believe any mailers which trace back to the UK and were purchased between 2013 and the present require extra scrutiny.
The affected mailers include many brown box mailers, most white box mailers which lack the full color ROTJ sticker on the front or other color names printed directly on the box, and the red text Cantina 2-packs.
Up until a few months ago, there was an immense amount of circumstantial evidence but no smoking gun. The fact that hundreds, if not thousands of rare and hard-to-find bags and mailers were coming from the same UK dealer certainly raised suspicion that something was amiss. The fact that certain characteristics differed from known authentic examples was even more alarming. Recent discoveries have now provided the smoking gun and confirmed that many of these were printed using modern ink jet technology, going so far as to print the yellow color under new tape which would be laid on top to give the impression of aged tape.
While I'll share detailed information privately with AFA, CAS, and UKG regarding these fake mailers, I believe the best approach on a public forum is to provide some basic things to watch out for. Providing every minute detail could, in many of these cases, assist counterfeiters with improving their craft and making even better fakes. Please see the attached pictures for some guidelines on how to spot some of these fakes.
If you have questions about a mailer you have, please feel free to message me or Frank Mewes pictures to see if there is cause for concern. If you need me to provide an opinion on a mailer so that you can receive reimbursement from a seller or reimbursement of cost from a grading company, please let me know and I'll be happy to assist. I will caution that these are exceptionally high quality fakes which have taken several leading experts over a year to sort the details out on, so if there is any chance your mailers originated from the UK between 2013-Present, it would be a good idea to get an expert opinion. These fake mailers have been found to contain both suspected fake and verified authentic bags, so even if the bags in your mailers look good, there is still a possibility the box itself could be a fake.