Robstyley said:
Aside from the receipt which doesn't really prove anything either way as the bags aren't sealed are they? It just means the later issue receipt can't have been in there (in 2001) when the baggies were allegedly found. Don't get why a receipt would be in one of them anyway? Makes no sense.
The Woolworth receipt which dates from the noughties is in a SEALED baggie. This is why it is the smoking gun.
Laurence's research shows that very few of the authentic 8 pack Palitoy baggies were sealed. However, EVERY single 8 Pack that originated from Jeff was sealed. Hmmm.
Laurence has catalogued about a dozen sold suspect examples that originated from Jeff, and looks like a further 25 or so that poor Kevin Bletsoe has in his collection (Kevin didn't want to be included in the investigation and I can fully understand why). So that's about 40. How many do you think are pictured in the cardboard box in Jeff's loft photo? I'd say about that amount.
The loft photo is it. It shows all of them before they were sold off far and wide. It's the one and only source, and we know they're all from Jeff. And we know his dead old lady story about 'acquiring' them in 1999 isn't true because of the receipt.
My guess... he spent a productive afternoon making these baggies, at some point in 2014, and then tucked them away in his loft with an intention to drip feed onto the market. He sold the first one in October 2014 on Ebay, he chose that particular one because he was most confident in that fake because he'd found an authentic looking Woolworths receipt stub to put in it. After that he decided he'd be safer not using Ebay but direct sale so as not to raise too many questions from fellow collectors or the tax man. Four years later the box full is sold, and he's £20k+ richer.
Or have I been watching too much Columbo!