Repro MOCs/Fakes vs. The real thing

[phantom]

Collecting mocs for some time now I feel that I hopefully can spot repros and other fakes when it comes to the MOC scene. Having an extremely limited supply of mocs in Norway, 99,9% of all my purchases are based on trust and pictures.

Wrong fonts, bubbles, colours, missing waffle pattern (aware that some also come without), placement of art on the cardback etc.

But, this is now, after reading alot, comparing photos, asking people and still using reference photos.
When I bought my first MOC, I bought it from a trusted member of the community here on the forum, but even though Ive been a massive Star Wars fan all my life I read alot on the subject beforehand, there still would have been a chance Id fallen for some repro on ebay listed as an original.

Doing one of my daily Star Wars searches on ebay (even though Id say only a minimal fraction of my purchases are done there) I find that theres such an insane amount of repros, some are listed as such, and alot are not.

The amount of repros being sold as repros today is massive, and somewhere down the road some (probably alot actually) are gonna be resold listed as genuine. I believe knowledge and education is key, and that is what brings me to my question.

-Is there any reference gallery that shows comparison between different repros and originals ? TIG is amazing when it comes to weapons, is there any equivalent when it comes to MOCs ?

Id be interested in trying to do some sort of comparison study at some point, as my personal opinion is that repros in the future will make collecting genuine stuff without going down the graded route harder and harder as more and more will be sold as genuine.

 

[mr_palitoy]

Spotting fakes/repros/reseals from photos is one of those things that gets easier as you have more experience in the hobby and have seen many different examples of genuine MOC's and fakes/repros/reseals.

As a beginner, going AFA/UKG will guarantee you don't get scammed.

Googling for an image of a genuine example of MOC in question and putting it side by side with what's on offer can also help spotting differences if you're starting out.

If it looks to good to be true, it probably isn't.



Jason

 

[phantom]

Spotting fakes/repros/reseals from photos is one of those things that gets easier as you have more experience in the hobby and have seen many different examples of genuine MOC's and fakes/repros/reseals.

As a beginner, going AFA/UKG will guarantee you don't get scammed.

Googling for an image of a genuine example of MOC in question and putting it side by side with what's on offer can also help spotting differences if you're starting out.

If it looks to good to be true, it probably isn't.



Jason

Yeah, I myself feel fairly comfortable determining a Moc to be genuine or fake, at least when it comes to most common fakes on ebay and such. I used the google method alot, and still does when in doubt.

I just think some sort of comparison guide or similar might be helpful for collectors new to collecting mocs

Personally I dont go down the UKG/AFA route because I find the GW acrylics cases to be perfect for me as I can take the cardbacks out when I feel like it. Besides I find it really hard to support a company that is a part of the whole U-grade scene..

 

[2stripes]

I honestly don't think there are that many undisclosed fake/reseals on eBay, where the buyer is selling it as moc. I see the odd one but not a lot. Its more about condition really. I try to buy cards in good condition and you have 2 sorts of sellers, those that point out the flaws and those that don't. Anyone with half a brain knows a crease is important though. Sellers who don't want to hilight flaws will normally just say a lot less. 'I'll let the picture do the talking' or just stating 'card lies flat' and nothing else. You quickly get to smell bullshit a mile off though.

I picked up a decent Nikto this week for £12 got it last night with it stuffed in a jiffy bag! So another thing I look for is that it's shipped in a star case, this one was cheap and luckily wasn't damaged but never underestimate a seller's ability to package something like an idiot. A good check is if they have sold much SW before or if this is the first and only item, that normally gets me worried!

 

[phantom]

I might have exaggerated a little bit saying "alot" is not listed as repros when they are, but they are still there.
My though is just that with alot of repro sold today, a percentage of that will without a doubt in the future be listed as originals, either by someone trying to get a good price for their 5-10 year old repro or someone else selling these repros unknowingly having aquired them after they have changed hands alot of times.

I totally agree that one should check the sellers history, and that there are many tell signs. But I still believe some sort of comparison guide could be helpful for some. Sadly as we all know, alot of repro stuff sell for high prices to unsuspicious new collectors. TIG is amazing when it comes to weapons but I still cannot find any site or section dedicated to various known cardback fakes.

 

[phantom]

I picked up a decent Nikto this week for £12 got it last night with it stuffed in a jiffy bag! So another thing I look for is that it's shipped in a star case, this one was cheap and luckily wasn't damaged but never underestimate a seller's ability to package something like an idiot.

I hate when that happens... I had a Tri-Logo Yak Moc arrive in a jiffy bag once