Nice A-2 with art work

This is one beautiful Bronco from a seller who normally charges very high prices for his A2s. The artwork is wonderful and it should be snapped up by a high end collector. Long Ranger painted jackets are especially sought after.

This stuff is beyond my comfort zone. So what it that tells you that the artwork is original Andrew ? Just curious as the D-1 that was pictured recently looked dubious to me but you were certain that it was original. You must know your stuff. What's your secret ?

Why do you think it is not original Peter?

The wear, the style of the writing and of the B-24 are typical of WW2 nose art. There is nothing about the artwork that indicates faked work.

Roughwear said:

Why do you think it is not original Peter?

Click to expand...

That's not what I asked. I'm asking why you think it is original. "The wear, the style of the writing and of the B-24 are typical of WW2 nose art. There is nothing about the artwork that indicates faked work." So you think it's worth a $3500 punt on those points alone, without even seeing it ?

Peter Graham said:

Roughwear said:

Why do you think it is not original Peter?

Click to expand...

That's not what I asked. I'm asking why you think it is original. "The wear, the style of the writing and of the B-24 are typical of WW2 nose art. There is nothing about the artwork that indicates faked work." So you think it's worth a $3500 punt on those points alone, without even seeing it ?

Click to expand...

It is worth what someone will pay for it. Similar jackets have sold for $3500 without the buyer having seen them in the flesh.

Roughwear said:

Peter Graham said:

Roughwear said:

Why do you think it is not original Peter?

Click to expand...

That's not what I asked. I'm asking why you think it is original. "The wear, the style of the writing and of the B-24 are typical of WW2 nose art. There is nothing about the artwork that indicates faked work." So you think it's worth a $3500 punt on those points alone, without even seeing it ?

Click to expand...

It is worth what someone will pay for it. Similar jackets have sold for $3500 without the buyer having seen them in the flesh.

Click to expand...

Enough said I think.

The artwork is 100% faked. This is one of the range from the studios of Contrailchaser. I've got a shame file with detailed pics of this and others from his same series. There's a thread on his efforts somewhere.....

That's interesting. I remember some of the jackets he sold with "original" artwork, but not this one. Do you have pics of it Andrew which link it with the guy?

Notice the scuffs / chipped paint to the lettering of the jacket as if to show that the damage was done to the jacket finish and paint at the same time. Also notice how the type of scuff is isolated to the paint and immediate perimeter of the paint, very clean inches around, as if the guy had his back turned when a paint seeking schrapnel bomb blew up.

Andrew said:

The artwork is 100% faked. This is one of the range from the studios of Contrailchaser. I've got a shame file with detailed pics of this and others from his same series. There's a thread on his efforts somewhere.....

Click to expand...

Andrew is 100% right. At least they are easy to spot. They must have all been done by the same person since they are almost all identical in script, chipped paint here and there, and wear to the jacket finish underneath. The patch may be real, but the paint is not.

Roughwear said:

That's interesting. I remember some of the jackets he sold with "original" artwork, but not this one. Do you have pics of it Andrew which link it with the guy?

Click to expand...

I don't have any link to CTC other than the pics in my file (and Jeff's) which were collected from his ebay auctions when he was actively selling these a couple of years ago. I have shots of three other jackets from the same series which all show the same ageing treatment. At some point Aviationetc must have bought this one or perhaps he's selling it for someone else. As Jeff and A2 have said they're consistently done so easy to spot.

Shame someone's going to buy this and believe it's real. Wish I could find that old thread, Dave would have had it by now...

"Shame someone's going to buy this and believe it's real"

I saw the discrepencies in the aging / damage based on common sense. No previous knowledge that this guy has been doing this a while using the same methods, style, etc. If someone buys this thinking it's real for that price, they need to learn this lesson if they even care. Shouldn't shell out thousands unless you can at least point out blatantly obvious fakes.

To my eye the paint "screams" fake

Just realized that I bought a bomb wing from this guy as a model to make my leather wings for 15.00 plus shipping of 5.00 two weeks ago. He's got them listed as old but good condition. I was sure they were repops because of the price regardless of the sketchy description, but that's all I needed anyway. I got a completely different wing than photographed, the postage was 1.90 as opposed to the 5.00 charged, and the wing is the same type I passed up at the local Army Navy for 6.00 total because the end result would have been too thick to make a stamp for leather. Contacted him, reply seemed very lazy with no punctuation three days later.
Here it is copied and pasted-

Send it back if I have the correct one I will send it to you if not I will refund you the amount Harry Smith 1 lakeview Dr toms river nj 08757

I told him to just refund my money and keep the ACTUAL shipping if he needs to. I'm not one to complain much or even return such a low dollar item, but his feedback speaks for itself. Doesn't really care, listings are sketchy, quantity not quality. I won't leave neg or neutral, but I have nothing nice to say either so as the saying goes.

My point to all of this is that I should have known to see the feedback first, but for 20.00 wasn't too worried about a problem. Now my experience with him will be the last and a lesson learned. Anyone who believes this is real based on the pics and a story, deserves to learn the lesson.

Good example on a much lower scale-
Yesterday I bought a lightweight musette bag at the local swap meet for 10- The color was perfect, had the correct US stamp, but the fabric was not typical of WW2 pouches and bags, very light and airy. Also, the hardware seemed cheap and light weight as well. I looked inside and out to find no maker or date stamp. It had eyelets and the construction was odd so I thought it to be a special purpose bag or maybe something rare. What I wasn't looking for is the tiny "made in China" stamp that I found inside when I got home. Maybe the guy knew, maybe he didn't, but I'm the knucklehead that ignored the obvious and bought it anyway. A ten dollar lesson learned.

If this is all from contrail chaser this is been going on for a while. I guess he was once a VLJ member in good standing with many nice A2s but is no longer and now has been caught selling questionable jackets and apparently even some fakes. I watched him for a while a year or two ago. This one is poorly aged but there was that 15th AAF A2 he was selling that had a "touched up" patch. There were debates here but to me it was obviously enhanced. He denied this via email but others had earlier pics that strongly implied otherwise. Some here continue to defend him but perhaps this guy drank the Coolaid and is now using his knowledge only for evil!
Unfortunately IMO, not to be trusted.


Dave

He has 4 or 5 patched and painted "WWII originals" for sale on the bay and they all look the same. Seems to have a production line going of these jackets.