Hey yall,

I just turned on the history channel series Pawn Stars, episode Sunday Funday.

They had an executioners sword that their expert determined is fake. I can't find photos, however perhaps someone else can. Here is the full episode, you can skip around to find the sword: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YOeQKwfyWz0

He determined it was fake because it was ground... Which so were historical swords. It also has a fuller that terminates below the guard, uncommon... But some 16th century originals feature this.

Anyone else think this 'expert' might be wrong?

Thanks!

Your link requires people pay for the episode. Bummer.

Who was the expert in this episode?

In the early seasons, their expert was really bad. He has a Web site with items for sale and most are improperly identified. There are quite a number of modern-made things that have been aged, including some lesser known items that I also owned. I wrote to him several times notifying him of it and never received a response. Of course, the items remained for sale on his site.

Season 8 episode 32 The expert is Craig Gotlieb
http://www.craiggottlieb.com/engine/about.asp


His main concern was his opinion it had been artificially aged, as the blade showed more wear than the hilt and that he thought perhaps some acid had hit the brass hilt leaving spots. Reputed to be 1680. It does have some very worn etched marks.

It is uploaded to many of the file sharing sites (watch out for the pop-ups) Gorillavid, Vodlocker, etc.

Cheers

GC

Here's a working link:

http://www.shush.se/index.php?id=280&show=pawnstars

Begins at 21min 27sec

Just to be clear, Craig Gotlieb is the the expert that I had mentioned in the previous post.

Well, at least the style of the markings on the blade - "Iustitia", a small Maltese cross, a large Blind Justice figure - looks quite plausible for 1680 to me, as does the overall design of the sword, but it could of course be a good fake, or a Victorian composite...

One thing I can say for sure is that this man should not be allowed to handle sharp objects around other people! It's no small wonder nobody got hurt, the way he kept waving the sword around and even at the customer. :eek:

When seeing the sword in the episode, my gut feeling screamed "fake!" right away...

That being said, Pawn Stars, like practically all "reality" television shows these days, is 100% scripted. Everything on it is "fake", even if it's "real", if you know what I mean. The experts say what they are scripted to say (regardless of what the real facts are), the items are what the production team happened to find, the prices for the items are what the makers of the show want them to be... etc. It's just entertainment, not education or fact.

In this case, I'd say the sword is artificially aged, and the "expert" is correct. Even so, I think if it were a real pawn shop situation, they would offer some money (though not a lot) for it, because it's an interesting looking item even if it is "fake".

There was an episode yesterday where they were talking about a Ryumon sword going for $1250...nothing on Pawn Stars can be taken seriously, least of which is their "experts". I'll grant that there are some very interesting items shown, but everything should be taken with a heavy serving of salt...

I watched that segment, and was surprised at how many fingerprints they put on that blade. Come on, put on some gloves!

Yeah, I understand that it's mostly scripted... But I was under the impression most of the sellers were 'real' and the items are actually sold at Gold & Silver... From what I've read.

My contention on the sword is that the hilt looks Victorian, but the blade really looks real with those marks. And the cripness on the fuller. No one who made it that well would just eff it up throwing chemicals on it.

It looked like something with an old blade, Victorian hilt, that at some point someone polished, and at some point someone tried to age.

Not exactly fake, and still worth something.

I've watched that so called expert mess up things before and make stupid comments... Especially early on where 'all guns needed to be tested that they could fire... By shooting them' and saying how it could explode. You can tell if it will shoot or not by inspecting it, and you should never shoot something yourself you think might explode!

Does anyone else agree with my feelings on the sword, or do you think I'm off? I ask this more because I'm interested about spotting fakes, than I am about the show. It's also always a lot harder to say a fake might be real, or partially real, than that a "real" item might be fake!

Wow, that "expert" really is full of you know what. The blade looks real to me. Patina, shape, fuller, marks, none of it looks wrong to me. Fittings probably are later than the blade, but not necessarily. Both blade and fittings could be 18th century and that is a period when these swords were still used. Only thing weird is that the blade is blunted... Who would blunt such a sword?

http://www.craiggottlieb.com/engine/inspect.asp?Item=5873

does it come with a certificate of authenticity? And who authenticates the certificate as authentic?

I recall watching that episode - the thing that stood out to me was the crispness of the wrapping on the handle. Because of said crispness in the wrapping, I was of the opinion that it was indeed possibly a fake. At the time, I don't think I recognized that said handle was wire-wrapped, however (near-sightedness for you).

...I think the other problem is likely that we're thinking the sword is older than it really is - it's probably 100-300 years old, and had been well-maintained over the course of its lifetime; whether it's genuinely 1680 is of course debatable. I post my reservations as I recall my initial impressions (in the first paragraph), and those are always a little hard to shake.

Lastly, if it's a properly made sword, even if it is a fake, you could still make several hundred dollars from its sale. It certainly has several years behind it even if it's not the real deal, and it's still a lovely (albit grisly) weapon.[/i]

Some of the things I note. Keep in mind the piece is not in front of me, nor am I to be regarded as some supreme authority.

A brass hilt that appears to me to be very machined. Noted a shiny steel or silvery section of the wire grip near the hilt. Agreeing to the discolored spots on the guard. I don't like much of what is etched on the blade. An orb with cross on a German blade is common but it is a simple cross, not maltese. The figural etch newer looking to the worn section of etching..

I have misread a sword in the past and it was pointed out to me that etching can be added after the fact, We do see here a form thsat would be described as an executioner's sword but why uneven wear? Why that much wear to parts of the etch?

What is the glint of silver on the grip by the guard?

Cheers

GC

Well, that expert is selling these: [link removed by administrator--why send them traffic?]

Which are so incredibly fake, I feel it is a bit criminal to be misrepresenting them as he is (note the sport fencing epeé blades).

Enough said.

Cheers!