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What we are building, and what we are learning
Notes from the people making Metzee, and from the sellers on it.
A guide to India’s regional crafts
Where the main craft traditions come from, what to ask a seller about one, and why the place is part of the object.
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How to spot fake cricket memorabilia
Bats signed long after the event are the known problem. Ask about the day, not about the ink.
How to spot a fake film poster
A later reproduction sold as an original printing. Ask for the whole sheet, the folds and the back.
How to spot fake beauty products
Heavily counterfeited, and the category where a fake is a health question rather than a value one.
How to spot fake electronics
Ask them to power it on while you watch. It is the one request this format makes easy and it settles most of it.
How to spot fake womenswear
What to ask to be shown — labels, seams and measurements — and why the measurements matter more than the labels.
How to spot fake menswear
Labels and construction are where people look, and the specifics change constantly. Ask to be shown, and price the uncertainty.
How to spot fake collectibles
The general version: how to think about authenticity for an object nobody has written a guide to.
How to spot fake manga and figures
Bootlegs are the issue, and the licensing information is printed in the book and on the box. Ask for it.
How to spot fake comics
A reprint sold as a first, and restoration that was not mentioned. The page that answers the first one is photographable.
How to spot fake minerals and crystals
Dyed, heated, glass sold as quartz, and assembled pieces. Ask for the scale, the light and the water.
How to spot fake records
A reissue sold as an original is the usual problem, and the answer is pressed into the record itself. Ask for a photograph of it.
How to spot fake sports memorabilia
A signature is a claim about an event. Ask for the evidence of the event, not for a verdict on the ink.
How to spot fake sports cards
Trimming and reprints are the two problems, and both are argued from square-on photographs. Ask for those.
How to spot fake books and films
A later printing sold as a first, and a facsimile jacket on a real book. Ask for the pages that carry the answer.
How to spot fake sports equipment
Counterfeit bats and rackets are common and hard to see on camera. What to ask to be shown instead.
How to spot fake outdoor gear
Replaced parts presented as original is the usual issue. Ask for the serial, and ask them to work the moving parts.
How to spot a fake antique
Age is the claim, and it is the hardest claim to check on camera. What to ask to be shown, and what to ask about provenance.
How to spot fake video games
A reproduction board inside an original case is the real problem. Ask to see inside, and ask them to run it.
How to spot a fake bag
The most faked category there is. What to ask to be shown, and why "the photographs are on the listing" is not an answer.
How to spot fake coins and notes
Ask for the scale and the callipers on camera. Not for a verdict — for a reading you can take to somebody who knows.
How to spot fake toys and collectibles
Reproduction parts in an otherwise original piece are the common problem. What to ask to be shown.
How to spot fake trading cards
What to ask a seller to do with a card on camera, and why "out of the sleeve" is the request that matters.
How to spot fake jewellery and watches
The category where being wrong costs most. What to ask to be shown, and why a scale on camera beats any reassurance.
How to spot fake sneakers
Metzee does not authenticate. What to ask a seller to show you, and what it means when they will not.
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