With those among us that are also collectors, a wise posting that was on eBay recently. It seems that Mr. Kirkman is "fed up" with all of the replica/junk stuff that is being sold as antique--so he has put together a website page to give warning to those that may be novices and unaware. The Key, Lock and Lantern website is also a good resource for warning of junk out there.

http://www.lanternnet.com/fakes.html

sc 'doc' lewis

Don't even get me started on the supposed antique railroad police badges available out there. The basic rules on the FAKES, FRAUDS, & FORGERIES page apply to badges also.

GME

The ones that really tick me off are the fake back-painted glass signs, usually saying things like "Tickets, Southern Pacific" or some such non-sense. What really gets me is the ones that say "Whites-Only"; in this world of political correctness, I've seen obvious fakes with this painted on them go for ridiculous prices --- why would someone want a sign like this, even original, with that kind of racial-hatred attached to it? Below, a link and a couple of photos of what I'm talking about:

http://railroadcollectors.org/pgFakes_Signs.shtml

TJ - not sure how integration was in the Jim Crow era in Michigan - Swedes moving into Norwegian neighborhoods? Interpreting this history in the South is a tricky proposition. The political interactions between the guilt ridden white liberal academics in general museum management jobs and the primarily black leaders of niche museums focusing on civil rights who would like a very strident interpretaton are worthy of being a spectator sport.

In the center are those who believe it insulting and demeaning to either base the entire scope of race relations on this one issue, or to avoid it altogether in hopes nobody will be offended. I don't see how we can interpret history without dealing with Jim Crow, but we owe it to our visitors to do it in a morally neutral, factual and rational way. The lesson that accepted standards of such concepts as "fairness" and "enlightenment" are evolutionally is one I wish was more widely taught. This is a geat venue for it.

dave

That is a wonderful site but dont for get that there are others that are good and include other repo and fakes besides just lamps and lanterns

http://www.railroadiana.org/pgFakes.shtml

http://www.railroadcollectors.org/pgFakes.shtml

all good references to check when looking at buying items