fake/spurious "Faberge" and "Imperial" items

[Forum Admin]

Yes, these are each and every one horrible, bad, FAKES FAKES FAKES. I used to feel sorry for the people that fall for this, but have started to think that people really should do some research BEFORE buying things like this.  If you count the number of object he listed "from Nicholas' study in the Winter Palace" for example, there would have been no ROOM for Nicholas!

Pathetic really, and just makes me angry.

[Robert_Hall]

I suppose it is possible, but I do not think Nicholas even had a working desk in the Catherine Palace. That was used only for ceremonial purposes.
People can find good quality REPRODUCTIONS, labled as such and be satisfied if they really want something totally useless but pretty. I even have 2 tiny  working Faberfge Imperial Easter eggs for my dollshouse collection.  You need a magnifying glass to see them, but they are very nice.

[Vecchiolarry]

Dear Robert and Forum Admin,

That's exactly what I asked myself when I read that item - - "Did The Czar have a desk in The Catherine Palace??"....
Why would he even think of going there unnecessarily when he lived and worked out of The Alexander Palace.

People can be duped so easily if they don't know their history and the facts of history.
And, the seller is stupid also, to think many people don't know that Nicholas is associated with The Alexander Palace.

I loved the statement that Nicholas would have no room in The Winter Palace if all the items for sale on E-Bay were from there!!!  Hilarious!!

Larry

[Romenta]

 

I would like to know why e-Bay allows this Bulgarian con artist and his alter-ego, the OTHER Bulgarian con artist to even show these things.  This is THE SAME GUY, by the way.  I did some checking.  I do notice that no one is buying any of the crap anymore - at least the expensive stuff, only cheap junk.  I would like to know why this is NOT internet fraud, as I thought there was a law against that?  Every legitimate dealer on e-bay has been approached by this nut to buy some of his stuff, so they know him personally.  It is hard to believe that serious buyers, who do know a great deal about Faberge, would even look at this stuff but usually it is  inexperienced people who think it wouldn't be legitimate if it were not being shown on this forum.  It is truly amazing to read his feedback comments and how people politely "thank him" for their wonderful item. He prints up his own certificates of authenticity, by the way, and makes his own monograms and ciphers. I personally know of one case where the seller left a bad assessment about him and he actually threatened "to ruin them" on e-bay if they didn't agree to change it, which they did. They were scared of him.  How much THIS goes on, I have no idea but I have an idea that this was probably not the first time he used this tactic. This guy is a nasty character....

[Romenta]

For those intersted in the Bulgarian website run by that con artist, I have just heard from a woman who told me that this guy first offered these particular people $100 to change their assessment of him in the remarks column, but if that didn't work, he would "ruin them on e-bay."  So, if anyone wants $100, I guess you know all you have to do is buy some piece of garbage, give a bad assessment and you've got some extra pocket change!  Uh.....isn't this AGAINST THE RULES on e-bay???  No wonder this clown keeps a 99.3% rating.  Without these tactics, it would be nearer 10%.   Also, notice there are three or four postings in the same row, all the same commentary.  I have an idea he is writing these himself to bolster his ratings.  Any comments?

[NAOTMAA Fan]

I found this exceedingly humourous:

http://cgi.ebay.ca/RUSSIAN-SILVER-ENAMEL-LETTER-OPENER-SETStamp-C-FABERGE_W0QQitemZ300166092381QQihZ020QQcategoryZ1215QQtcZphotoQQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Rony1512 here is selling a wonderful Faberge letter opening set. Allegedly a gift from Nicky to Alix....though curiously it has the monogram of Alexander III and not Alexandra Feodorvna. Silly Rony...

But what is this???

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Russian-Gilt-Silver-Enamel-Letter-Opener-Set-C-Faberge_W0QQitemZ330183347354QQihZ014QQcategoryZ1215QQtcZphotoQQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Margo222425 is selling this REAR AND STUNNING ONE OF A KIND version of the exact same set!!! However this one sports a delightfully hideous Indian style Elephant instead of the Imperial Double-Headed Eagle. At least Margo knows its Alexander III.

I guess you could look at it this way, if one gets sold you can always pay the overtly overpriced payment for the other one!!!

[Ortino]

But wait! They're not the same--one has an ugly eagle at the end and the other, an ugly knob thing. Either way, they're both hideous.

[NAOTMAA Fan]

But of course! Soooo very true.

[Alixz]

I saw these auctions, too.

I had to believe that they were fakes because anyone who had that much Faberge to sell would be selling it at Sotheby's or Christies.

It just didn't make sense.

I suppose that someone who didn't know what he/she had might put a rare item on eBay.  Like how people sell priceless items at a garage sale because they don't know what they have.

These prices are insane.  And there was just too much stuff!

[Katharine]

A few questions, if I may.

Now, I've been to a store in Sydney called Peter's of Kensington, a very popular, reputable shop. A few years ago when I went, they had items from Faberge, nothing specifically Romanov related, but little eggs etc (a few of the items they have for sale can be seen here: http://www.petersofkensington.com.au/Product/ProductSearch.aspx?departmentSearch=-1&brandSearch=FABERGE&search=

I went there today for the first time in years and they now have replicas of some of the original items that Nicholas gifted Alexandra, such as the Lilies of the Valley and the 1916 Steel Military eggs. Obviously it goes without saying that these are not the originals, and are indeed reproductions, but they are said to have still been created by the house of Faberge.

My question - would these Faberge replicas be "the next best thing" to owning those originals? Do you think they are still worth the money? I mean, they certainly seem well-made, not in the exact way of the originals, in same cases. For example I was shown a box which, in the original production, was lined with diamonds - in the reproduction, they are Swarovski crystal. But still, I don't think you could class them as "fake", right?

[Forum Admin]

The use of the name "Faberge" with anything produced today means little.  These items are decorative, and if you like them, fine, buy them.  They won't increase substantially in value, they are of little artistic or historic importance, BUT, they are pretty, and probably the closest that any "normal" person would ever come to owning something "like" genuine Faberge.

[Katharine]

Okay, thanks.

One more query though, when you say the name Faberge doesn't mean much these days - these Faberge items are still produced by the original company Carl Faberge headed during Alexander and Nicholas's reigns, correct? As in, you buy a Ford today, and obviously Henry Ford had nothing to do with it's creation, but it's still a Ford.

[Forum Admin]

The company "Faberge" in Imperial Russia no longer produces anything.  The rights to the commercial use of the name were sold to a perfume manufacturer in the 1920s.  The items produced today using the Faberge name have no relationship to the original firm.

The great grandchildren of Carl Faberge have used their own name to produce items, but they are descendants.  The original firm ceased production of anything during the Revolution.  There is no continued chain of creation, like Ford for example.  The items produced today would be akin to your buying a car from Henry Ford's g-grandson, built himself using their family name, that they made in a small garage in Miami Florida.

[Alixz]

 
In January 2007, Fabergé Limited acquired the worldwide FABERGÉ brand from Unilever. The transaction included all associated trademarks, licences and intellectual property.
Fabergé Limited is presently restructuring certain aspects of the brand in order to reposition it and complete its unification. Fabergé Limited intends to create, true to the heritage of Peter Carl Fabergé, the world’s foremost designer and purveyor of luxury items to the most discerning of buyers.
For further information, please contact us by Fax on +44 20 7206 2036
 

PRESS RELEASE
Historic Reunification and New Fabergé CEO
 

 

[Alixz]

Brands
After some recent purges, Unilever now owns about 400 brands, many of them local that can only be found in certain countries. The brands fall almost entirely into two categories: Food and Beverages, and Home and Personal Care.

 Food and beverages
Ades or Adez - soya-based drinks
Alsa - desserts and syrups
Amora - French mayonnaise and dressings
Annapurna - salt and wheat flour (India)
Becel - also known as Flora/Promise; health-aware: margarine, spreads, cooking oil, milk, fermented milk
Ben and Jerry's - ice cream
Best Foods - mayonnaise, sandwich spreads, peanut butter and salad dressings
Bertolli - pasta sauces and olive oil (ambient/chilled & frozen)
Bifi - a mini salami
Blue Band - Family-aware: margarine, bread, cream alternatives
Bovril - beef extract
Breyers - ice cream
Brooke Bond - tea
Bru - instant coffee (India)
Bushells - tea (Australia, New Zealand)
Calvé - sauces, ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, peanut butter
Capitan Findus - children's frozen food
Conimex - Asian spices (Netherlands)
Colman's - mustard
Continental - side dishes
Country Crock - margarine
 Doriana - margarine (Brazil)
Du Darfst (Germany)
Elmlea - Pourable cream available in different varieties (UK)
Findus - frozen foods (Italy and UK)
Flora- margarine, light butter, jams
Fudgsicle
Gallo - olive oil
"Heartbrand" - ice cream (umbrella logo, see below for national brands)
Hellmann's - mayonnaise
I Can't Believe It's Not Butter - margarine spread
Imperial Margarine - margarine
Jif Lemon & Lime Juice
Karo - syrups
Kissan - Ketchups Squashes and Jams (India)
Klondike - Ice cream sandwiches
Knorr (Knorr-Suiza in Argentina) - sauces, stock cubes, ready-meals, meal kits, ready-soups, frozen food range
Lady's Choice - mayonnaise, peanut butter and sandwich spreads (Philippines)
Lan-Choo - tea (Australia/New Zealand)
Lao Cai Seasoning
Lawry's and Adolph's
Lipton - tea
Lipton Ice Tea - ready-to-drink tea (partnership with PepsiCo)
Maille - French mustard
Maizena - corn starch
Mazola - edible oils
Marmite - yeast extract spread (except in Australia and New Zealand)
 Mc' Collins - tea (Peru)
Mrs. Filbert's - margarine (USA)
Paddle pop - Icecream (Australia)
Pfanni - Bavarian potato mixes
Peperami
PG Tips - tea (UK)
Phase - cooking oil
Planta - margarine
Popsicle - Frozen treats
Pot Noodle - cup noodles
Promise - see Becel/Flora
Ragú - pasta sauces
Rama - margarine
Royal - pastas (Philippines)
Red Rose Tea - tea (Canada)
Sana - Margarine (Turkey)
Saga - tea (Poland)
Scottish Blend - tea
Skippy - peanut butter
Slim·Fast - diet products
Sunlight Soap (Africa)
Stork margarine
Streets (ice cream) (Australia)
Turun sinappi - mustard (Finland/Sweden)
Unilever Foodsolutions - professional markets (food service)
Unox - soups, smoked sausages
Vaqueiro - cooking margarine, cooking oil
Wish-Bone salad dressing