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Glass Identification - Post here for all ID requests => Glass Paperweights => Topic started by: SophieB on May 04, 2014, 10:54:06 AM

Title: PY butterfly - Fake or not?
Post by: SophieB on May 04, 2014, 10:54:06 AM
Hi all,

Although I like it, this PY butterfly does not seem right to me (for one thing, I cannot remember any antennae done this way - on the ones I have seen they were all separate). Is this another fake?

http://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/gorringes/catalogue-id-2906443/lot-22143060?searchitem=true

If it is a fake as I suspect, there seems to be a little collection of them being sold at auctions at the moment.

SophieB
Title: Re: PY butterfly - Fake or not?
Post by: Nick77 on May 04, 2014, 12:32:56 PM
Hi Sophie,

Yes it's yet another fake, apart from the low quality butterfly I don't think that ground is like any genuine PY I've seen and if you enlarge the image the P is clearly orange/brown.

Makes me wonder if one person is spreading them around different auction houses?

Nick
Title: Re: PY butterfly - Fake or not?
Post by: SophieB on May 04, 2014, 05:29:19 PM
Hi Nick,

With my computer, I could not say for sure what colour the P was.

Yes, it seems that a little hoard of PY fakes is being spread around the country's auction houses. I plan to email Gorringes but in view of what happened at Lindsay Burns (and to some extent at McTears), I am not convinced this has any impact.

SophieB
Title: Re: PY butterfly - Fake or not?
Post by: KevinH on May 04, 2014, 06:39:27 PM
Some years ago, there were several batches of up to 13 weights offered for sale through various sources, including places like Christie's South Kensington. It would not surprise me if several weights from those batches are now being put out into the market again.
Title: Re: PY butterfly - Fake or not?
Post by: daveweight on May 05, 2014, 06:46:35 PM
Hi Sophie
I have a PW fake, type 2 with the spaced letters, and the butterfly looks very similar to the one you are referring to - picture attached
Dave
Title: Re: PY butterfly - Fake or not?
Post by: SophieB on May 05, 2014, 09:47:29 PM
Hi Dave,

There is a 'family' resemblance, but yours is the nicer of the two.  ;)

SophieB
Title: Re: PY butterfly - Fake or not?
Post by: SophieB on May 10, 2014, 02:48:35 PM
Hi All,

Contacting auction houses does work sometimes. I am informed that Gorringes has withdrawn the PY fake butterfly from their sale.

SophieB