Sax on the Web Forum banner

Found this for sale in China - real or no?

3K views 26 replies 10 participants last post by  Mike F 
#1 ·
What do you think? Seller is asking for US $10,650

Leg Human body Wood Thigh Trunk
Hand Human body Thigh Gas Fender
Cylinder Gas Revolver Wood Metal
Sleeve Drinkware Waist Thigh Wood
Musical instrument Musical instrument accessory Shotgun Wind instrument Font
 
See less See more
5
#2 ·
It looks EXTREMELY fishy, despite the very believable bell engraving and punch stamping and serial number.

That Mark VI with very fake ® by the thumbrest and all those solder residue looks fake. Also the “ aging” patina is most definitely made to look old but in a very rough way.

To me this is an horn made on purpose to deceive.

I know you live there, but what makes you think that you can buy a real Selmer in the land which thrives on making fakes of everything else?
 
#3 ·
#6 ·
not in an international market, Chinese buyers buy on internet too. I am sure that same as you anyone there would be aware that they can buy things like these for much less abroad.

Good luck with looking for real bargains in China. Looks like the bargains are all fakes and all the real things are overpriced.
 
#8 ·
I used to buy primarily from Japan. About 1 in 3 packages would get picked up by customs and I would have to pay a 5% duty to collect it.
The government recently increased the duty on musical products to 30% and is aggressively enforcing it. Everyone including shopkeepers that primarily sourced from overseas is grousing about it.
 
#7 ·
I think it's real--chances are low it's a fake, in spite of the many dubious things about the saxophone, but would need more pictures to be sure. There are too many details that are right, like the bell-to-body ring design with the patent number, the engraving, the stamping (aside from the non-circular shaped ®), serial number, the fonts, the stamping design and font. The Mark VI ® by the octave key could've been engraved after the fact so isn't necessarily indicative of a fake.

Either way it's not worth anywhere near $10k. Too many signs of resoldering, no lacquer.
 
#10 ·
I think it's real--chances are low it's a fake, in spite of the many dubious things about the saxophone, but would need more pictures to be sure. There are too many details that are right, like the bell-to-body ring design with the patent number, the engraving, the stamping (aside from the non-circular shaped ®), serial number, the fonts, the stamping design and font. The Mark VI ® by the octave key could've been engraved after the fact so isn't necessarily indicative of a fake.

Either way it's not worth anywhere near $10k. Too many signs of resoldering, no lacquer.
This is the only other pic from the ad
Musical instrument Light Wind instrument Reed instrument Music
 
#12 ·
I think it's real. The lacquer has been stripped but the engraving and serial look real. There are a few other things about it that indicate "real" to me.

I don't like to post details as to why something is real or fake on a public forum. No reason to give counterfeiters any tips on making their stuff better.
 
#24 · (Edited)
Well, I'm going to stick my neck out here and say that I think it's genuine. I honestly can't see anything suspicious. I'd love Douglas Pipher to chime in here and give his expert opinion. What I will say is that if it's a fake it's hands down the best one I've ever seen, and that by a country mile!
 
#25 ·
Well, I'm going too stick my neck out here and say that I think it's genuine. I honestly can't see anything suspicious. I'd love Douglas Pipher to chime in here and give his expert opinion. What I will say is that if it's a fake it's hands down the best one I've ever seen, and that by a country mile!
It's too well executed to be a fake, and if it were a fake you'd see bunch of similar horns on taobao/aliexpress. I'd be more concerned whether it's a scam listing where the person borrowed pictures elsewhere, or doesn't have the original neck.
 
#27 ·
milandro and others, I PM'd Douglas Pipher about this and I have his permission to share his response. For your information and possibly edification.......

'I would say real ... The stamping is absolutely correct (even including die wear which is appropriate for the period).
The only think that looks a bit strange is the Mark VI engraving on the upper body, but I think that it could be that it was re-engraved.
I can't imagine a forger working so hard to get tiny period-appropriate errors so perfect.
Cheers, Douglas'
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top