Last year, upon my return from a visit to Janos of this forum in Hungary, I showed pics of a fake Eichhorn that was amazingly close to the Allach Eichhorn. The major difference as we discussed then was in the eyes. Well, it seems that the fakers read our thread and seem to have corrected this 'give'. I picked up, thanks to Janos again, a new version of the fake.

For that reason, I will show pics of the new fake but will only discuss the shortcomings of this fake via PM.

These are so good that only expert in hand inspection by someone who has written a book is required.

First of all, I will show you pics of the three squirrels, they are, left to right, the fake, the original and the fake.

The second picture is of the same three. Lets call them the Fat Cow Fake and the Google Eye Fake. Note the neat use of almost original Eickhorn tags to add authenticity to these fraudulent pieces.

John

Here is a shot of last year's fake, the one I call the Google Eye Fake, with the Eichhorn tag and maker mark.

And, here is the new fake, the one I call the Fat Cow Fake.

Notice how the google eye flaw in the first fake has been corrected.

But, like most fakes, there is an udder way of telling this one from the real thing. I cannot reveal this secret in public but if you send me a note or a PM, I may tell all.

Notice that the two fakes have really good and almost perfect trademarks.

For the eagle-eyed ones out there, I also have a shot of the Fat Cow Fake beside the original. Can you tell which is which?

It's getting to be a scary world out there with such amazing craftsmanship coming out of the Far East. But, remember, once I write my book, I will be an expert that you can rely on for these things.

John

I think everybody should be very concerned, these are certainly getting better, it seems nowadays that nothing is sacred.

Gary

JZ,

HA !!!

W~

Are you sure they are fake?

Holy Cow!

John,
the collector community must be very thankful for you to share your amazing detailed knowledge in this subject.
I just can't wait for your book to come out!!!

Janos

oh no, just won an auction for the fat cow.......another rip off on e-ban...................................

Paul:

Sorry to say, it wasn't a Fleabay auction... it came out of Eastern Europe and was sold to me as a genuine Eichhorn by a very respected member of this forum, who shall remain nameless, Janos, out of respect fro the seller and fear of being punted from this forum.

John

John you've got a good eye.
And you used to be easy prey!!!

Paul:

And I also used to be able to spell, but that is the second thing to go once you get old.

J

John,
between you and me, you are a terrible heartless person.
Since you left, my daughter asks me every day:
- Father, where is my favorite toy, the little Eichhorn cow? Last time I saw it, it was in the hands of your Canadian friend...
Than I reply:
- Don't worry, I will buy another one. And he is not my friend anymore."

Janos

Interesting, can we have a close up photo of a google eye flaw on the Fat Cow fake?
I am not able to tell the diference by those pictures. They are getting better and better this days...

You know, you guys are starting to really scare me......

Vern:

Emotions run deep in this hobby.

I expose one fake and lose a very good friend... life is not fair.

Not to worry, Janos, the Fat Cow fake is in a much better, maybe a lot colder place, but at least we don't have to worry about red sludge washing it away. Tell your daughter that the cow is much happier today.

John

Paul,If the "FAT COW" You bought is identical to the one in the above photos Information from a Russian picker leads me to believe this is a variant.It is distinguished by the cows nose, Known as the "Tim Burton" although it is obviously Post war there is still avid collecting interest among fans of "The nightmare before Christmas"and "The corpse bride"
You may be able to recover your investment by posting it on "The Bay" Perhaps under a listing like this:German Nightmare wwii cow dagger sword Eickhorn Jack Skelington.Good luck Geoff

John,

If you got taken by a forum member and he will NOT take it back or otherwise satisfy you 100%, then you are free to name the guy here.

Dave

Dave:

It's ok. It is a forum member and he (actually his daughter) does want it back, but I won't give it to him.

It's so hard to deal with people from the former Eastern Bloc countries.

But, all is cool.

John

John,

I saw your house today!!!

Imrobil:

How did you guess?

John

I don't get it! What am I MISSING, and please don't tell me to buy the BOOKS!

blairbunker:

This whole thread was a joke started by me and trying to have a little fun with some toys I picked up in Hungary having the label Eichhorn on them. Since I am an Eickhorn collector, I couldn't resist poking a little fun at myself and at any self-proclaimed expert.

Janos is a good friend and he and I laughed long and hard about these little items when I first got them. We made up stories and I decided to post them here to continue the fun.

So, for those who got it, great.

For those who only saw the last little part and thought that I was complaining about getting hosed with an Eastern European fake, I am sorry that I mislead you.

John

John:
Sooooo………. Kinda like sarcasm? Oh! Ohhhhh!!!!! I get it now! That’s Funny! Thanks for letting me off the hook; Ya’ll really had me going there!
John R. Blair (56 year old) Jr.
aKa. blairbunker

John, I must tell you that, I TOTAL LOVE THIS THREAD! Everytime I need a laugh I come here and give it a read. When my girlfriend asks me what im laughing about all I have to tell her is that Im reading the thead that I refer to as "The tale of two Eichhorns". I realy think you two need to write childerns books. LOL
Brian

It's about time someone posted a picture of Roy Carrols tattoo on this thread!
JIm

It has been a while, but I ran across this very convincing Eichhorn in Norway on my travels this summer.

You can barely, if you have a very keen eye, make out the fuzzy details that will indicate that this is the latest in European fakery.

It is very convincing and comes with an original maker tag.

This and the other ones in this thread will be the highlight of my new book on Tips and Traps When Collecting Squirrels (working title only) ... wait for the book, I am up to chapter two already!

John

Wow John,that's a fantastic find.
Love that serrated tail,just beautiful
Congrats my friend