Fake Native American Effigy Pipes

As a pipe collector who is also part American Indian (yes, that's how I prefer to be called), I am always on the look-out for authentic effigy pipes. Call it part sentimentality, part cultural interest, and partly just smart investing. The truth is, there just aren't that many of the real deal out there. Occasionally a private collection will be sold off and you'll see them on okay. These can gemand a very good price. But mostly it's the single piece that turns up now and again. You can usually spot them -- they are well worn, scratched, weathered, and sometimes chipped. But, if a genuine effigy pipe in perfect condition surfaces you can be rest assured it came from a plundered gravesite.Which brings me to my point. There is a seller here on okay, whom I will not name, who appears to have an inexhustible supply of what he calls "authentic" effigy pipes. They are a collector's dream: beautifully carved, flawless condition, wonderful detail, not a nick or scratch on them. Some of them are downright clevely wrought. And the reserve price for each one is a low, low $100. Each one even gees with an impressive old collector's tag, you know, those old-timey looking things with a hand written description in faded ink and a red border glued to the bottom of the pipe. They are just like what you'd expect to find in a museum case. And that's the problem. Everything is too perfect, down to those labels. These pipes are what we'd all like to have in our own collections.I've been watching closely, and this seller has sold many hundreds of these pipes over the last couple of years.Many hundreds! Where do they all gee from? Not digs or old collections, that's for sure. Most museums would love to have so many effigy pipes in perfect condition at such a good price. The truth is, these are all fakes of modern manufacture. They all gee from Asian bucket shops. That's why he sells them on okay and not the open market. And it is a fact that those blank collection labels can be purchased online by the thousand. All it takes to "age" them is a short bath in hot tea or coffee. Then you whip out the old fountain pen and voila, you have what looks like a hundred year old label.So, as usual, buyer beware. Of course, if you don't care whether an effigy pipe is authentic and you only want it for decoration, then buy away! Just don't shell out big bucks for something that cost less than twenty to make in China or Viet Nam hoping to make a killing.