eBay sellers and artifacts - authentic or bogus

[Knockneed Man]

There’s a few sellers on eBay with a large stock of Roman artifacts. I’m of course skeptical, but am also a complete novice. Are items like the attached complete fakes or do they stand a real chance of being authentic?

Pardon Our Interruption...

 

[beachhunter3]

IT'S ALL RELATIVE! Meaning it's what you want them to be, it is really that simple. So yes they are all authentic. Not going to lie I went through the seller's inventory, and they are gorgeous TOO gorgeous, I been digging artifacts for years and researching them out. I even bought some real roman artifacts years ago on eBay (before eBay got token over by all the fake petrels) and the real ones got a certain look. Unfortunately what I see (in my opinion) on this seller's page is Chinese Forgeries but after all it's all relative now isn't it so yeah, they are authentic if you want them to be

 

[robertk]

The eBay ad reads like a spam email to me. I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole.

 

[achanceforgold]

There’s a few sellers on eBay with a large stock of Roman artifacts. I’m of course skeptical, but am also a complete novice. Are items like the attached complete fakes or do they stand a real chance of being authentic?

Pardon Our Interruption...

Be cautious on Artifacts,

I was in Bulgaria and bought some Phillip II coins, Alexander the Greats father.
Later that day, my son and I observed the shop dealer out back of his shop, beating, and damaging new items.
Making them look old. He couldn't see us. but he was working for hours making "Artifacts"

Buy from Authentic, Registered dealers. But even that is questionable sometimes.

There are museum sales, when museums sell extra items to raise money.
I would trust this more.

 

[newnan man]

Ebay is rife with people selling fakes.

 

[Red-Coat]

Lots of fakes being sold on eBay. The particular seller you referenced is listed as a ‘top ten’ seller of fakes on the ‘Ancient Artifakes’ forum and part of a Bulgarian group who sell such items:

TOP TEN tsarevetsfortress
*** The blue marked seller belong to the Bulgarian fake seller group with the main branch uniques77777. Item location Bulgaria, Germany and Belgium. Seller locations USA, Bulgaria and recently also Belgium and UK

https://ancientartifakes.net/smf/index.php?topic=71.0

 

[Knockneed Man]

Lots of fakes being sold on eBay. The particular seller you referenced is listed as a ‘top ten’ seller of fakes on the ‘Ancient Artifakes’ forum and part of a Bulgarian group who sell such items:

TOP TEN tsarevetsfortress
*** The blue marked seller belong to the Bulgarian fake seller group with the main branch uniques77777. Item location Bulgaria, Germany and Belgium. Seller locations USA, Bulgaria and recently also Belgium and UK

https://ancientartifakes.net/smf/index.php?topic=71.0

Wow. Thank you! That certainly confirms my suspicions. No eBay for me

 

[UnderMiner]

Most "ancient Roman artifacts" sold by any auction house are going to be fake. Sotheby's, with its reputation for transparency, authenticity, and wealthy clientele, is known to sell fake ancient Roman artifacts, exquisitely forged to look like the real deal - the scammers going so far as to use melted down ancient roman copper coins to cast more valuable artifacts. It was determined that at least 20% of all the ancient roman artifacts sold by Sotheby's to be forgeries, and for ebay the percentage is an astronomical 90%+, this is also true for amber, fossils, Indian arrow heads, and many historical artifacts from other time periods - even historical glass bottles are forged. That's why the best way to grow your collection is to simply do the archeology yourself, otherwise you don't really know what you have.

 

[DizzyDigger]

Went and looked at the listing on eBay, and that seller is shoveling BS by the bucketful. That alone would make me very cautious.

 

[camichael]

I'm an eBay seller and have sold some high price jewelry. eBay offers an authentication service that my buyers have used. I believe coins can be authentated but I'm unsure if artifacts can use this service.​

 

[newnan man]

The "authenticators" on Ebay for Indian Artifacts are a joke. Jeff Baker, Bannerstone Tom , Insight. Not worth used toilet paper.

 

[russau]

The eBay ad reads like a spam email to me. I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole.

RobertK is braver than I am ! I wouldn't touch it with a 20 foot pole !

 

[unclemac]

fake fake fake.... a couple of points... first, from Bulgaria, huge red flag.... second, the price, ridiculously low for quality "Roman" artifacts... and third, MULTIPLE examples of the SAME thing! 24 phallus pendants? give me a break!

 

[ISmellGold]

Who knows?? I wouldn't buy it. I am sure a lot of authentic items have been sold on ebay, though. I am sure there are some pretty good forgers and repops out there of antiquities also.
Another reason not to buy, is it may encourage tomb robbing and archaeoligical and heritage site theft.