Hi Stan,
I agree with those above who say that even those who have collected for many years, still get stung sometimes. There are those out there who are turning out extremely good modern made items and asking silly prices for what is, actually only a replica. Personally I detest that sort of thing and if I DO get stung from one of those sources, then there is no way I would ever deal with it again.
An old collector friend of mine once said to me that if an item does not look quite right, then it probably isn't......and I am sure he was right about that.
Pictures unfortunately can hide many things, and IMHO the only way to be sure, is to physically hold the item in your hand before buying. With internet selling of course it is impossible to do that, BUT you can ask questions thru the system and if a seller has not told the truth, there are usually ways to retrieve your $, provided you keep a "paper trail". Also as DOM said, be very suspect of poor quality photos.
Regards Stu
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