Great points I.P.You are exactly right about the "sellers",I can tell you three right off the top of my head that are selling bogus two piece buckles as we speak(big time guys too).I also can think of at least one that came up on here not long ago that was the guys first post,claimed he dug it and never came back....it was fake as the day is long.I really seen a spike in fakes(T&W's)this last winter and a good friend,and guy that knows what he is doing,fell victim to a sham(from another"friend",that is an expert.That being said I would have fell for it too,but low and be hold recently another one(of the same buckle) surfaced,that is a fantasy piece made by a prominent buckle reproducer.I dont know that he was in on the deal or not,but I do know he and one of the guys that are selling these fakes are good friends....and several of these buckles arent advertised on his repro web site.They have tell tale hints though.If they are repro's of an original,they are easy to crack,its the one of a kind first time seen buckles that are tough!