WARNING: Counterfeit Cels

I didn't make any threats. I just stated what I would have been worried about. This forum is about speaking your mind isn't it?

I did see the points but saw them all as opinions, not as hard facts. But then again maybe it is all just me.

newbiecollector-
"Is someone here an authenticator of this art or work for a gallery? "

There are ways of getting cels authenticated. When all this came up, I took a stack to an animation art expert because I wanted to make sure none of mine were fake.

That hasn't been done with these cels. Instead they were listed in the animation art> Prints category and listed saying no returns accepted. Well, that sure helps the poor schmuck who buys those cels and then realizes their fakes or eventually takes these cels to be sold at a real animation art gallery and they tell them they're fakes.

Certificates of authenticity doesn't usually offer much protection, but what a certificate of authenticity should do is state implicitly that if the cel is found to be a fake it can be returned for a full refund, whether that's tomorrow or in five years. It's really clear that this seller on eBay wanted to make a quick buck off of these GI Joe cels and didn't care whether they were real or fakes or else he/she would have had them authenticated BEFORE listing them.

With animation art, you have to trust your gut when something seems off about a cel. Is there proof a cel was faked? Probably not. Not unless it's such an obvious fake.

Marvel/Sunbow cels are at the price range now where some are selling for MORE than Disney cels. Disney cels are commonly faked and the collectors are always on the look out for fakes. Something too cheap, something that seems off, they think fake and want the cel authenticated before they buy. Eventually, the Sunbow cel collectors are going to have to start adapting that mentality.

Sounded like an "implied threat" to me newbie.(?) And for hard facts just look at the photos that have been linked to comparing cels and screen shots.Pretty convincing stuff IMO.

newbiecollector,

In response to some of the things you were asking about.

1. So supposedly this ebay person made these cels? They took the time to paint the cels themselves?
I hear a lot of opinions but don't see any concrete proof. Is someone here an authenticator of this art or work for a gallery?

- I don't believe the person selling the cels actually made them. They were supposedly purchased from japan. Thats pretty much where most of these counterfeit cels come from. And as "Atashi" stated, if you need some hard,physical proof just look at the links to the comparison pics that have already been posted. I'll list the links here for you again incase you missed them.

Snake Eyes Overlay by "Noisywalrus".
http://www.rubberslug.com/misc/gijoe.html

Counterfeit cels and Comparison link
http://s1131.photobucket.com/albums/m554/maceanimation/

As far as authenticating cels with COA's. Please see "Mackettrics" post for the answer to that one. She summed it up nicely.

2. How do you know that the seller on ebay is GoG? Maybe they bought them from GoG and you are attacking someone completely innocent. I personally would be a little careful when throwing around such facts, but that's just me.

- My belief that the ebay seller (drbarker) and GoG are the same person is my personal opinion. I tried providing proof of that on here as well. You can take it however you want. Thats entirely up to you. And even if the seller is a different person it doesn't change the fact that the cels he is selling are still believed to be fakes.

3. So you are sure that these cels are fakes. What about all the others that are on eBay? Do they come with a certificate of authenticity? None of the auctions have stated that, hence why I ask.

- Yes, I firmly believe that these cels are indeed "fakes". I have many years experience collecting Sunbow Gijoe and Transformers cels. Without going into detail again of the many things wrong with these cels I can honestly say that I can tell that they are fake just by looking at them. They do not look the same as the other Sunbow cels that I have been collecting all of these years. Someone that doesn't collect these types of cels probably couldn't see this. But where as these types of cels are my specialty I can. That is my personal opinion. Again, as far as COA's, refer to "Mackettrics" response.

4. If it were me, and I couldn't prove it without a shadow of a doubt, I would be afraid someone hit me with a lawsuit.

- As far as proving my claims, as I already stated,look over the links to the pics comparing some of the cels to their matching dvd screencaps and make your own decisions based on that evidence. I don't see GoG posting on here or anywhere else trying to prove his cels are in fact "originals". He's more than welcome to respond on here but he has yet to do so. I had originally suggested to him that he send a few of the cels to a gallery to be authenticated but he refused to do that. He's actually only making himself look guilty by removing the cels in question from his gallery and then remaining silent on the subject. Actions speak louder than words.

I have never stated "NOT" to buy anything from GoG or the ebay seller (drbarker). I have only said to consider everything posted here "BEFORE" dealing with them. If you or anyone else are still interested in buying or trading these cels from them then that it is your decision to make.

As you yourself stated newbiecollector "This forum is about speaking your mind isn't it?".

newbiecollector,

Actually, heres an idea. Why don't you get the word straight from the horses mouth? In order for you to make a fair assessment on everything that you've been asking about you should probably hear both sides of the story. Right? So why don't you contact GoG himself and see what he has to say about everything? I know he is still interested in selling these cels. If you think his explanations about why his cels don't match the screenshots are reasonable and decide to buy anything from him then let us know. Or even if you think they aren't reasonable and then don't buy anything. Either way I'd like to hear your opinion.

You can contact Guardians of Good (GoG) through the "feedback" option in his gallery here...

http://guardians.rubberslug.com/gallery/home.asp