40+ year Matchbox collector in the US here, these are excellent videos and I'm glad you've made them, but I don't believe that some of these cars are as rare as people claim; the mint green Lincoln SF certainly is, ditto the red Pontiac (I know because I'm after one!), but some of the others you show here, like the green Ferrari, the blue 300SE, and even the blue Zodiac, are not in the same category; I have less-than-mint but still decent copies of all 3 that I bought as a kid at Matchbox collector swap meets back in the mid 1980's for about $12. Are they fakes? I suppose they could be, but was anyone faking rare Matchboxes 40 years ago? It seems to me that the prices on these toys have gotten so crazy that the values are distorted. Like it or not, that kind of frenzied "investment spending" is going to invite fraud. Caveat Emptor.
Hi, thanks for your post. You are quite correct there are models here which are not in the same league as the Lincoln, Pontiac etc. The trouble is you have models like the Zodiac which are worth several hundred pounds in decent condition which can be made by destroying 2 common models. This is why the scum bag fakers do this because you can pick up 2 Zodiacs for a few quid and then transpose parts to make a model worth a few hundred. Blue Merc's, Green Ferrari's etc I don't consider rare but they are desirable- again it's why they are faked. If you bought yours with some play wear a long time ago I'm sure they'll be genuine.
Thanks for this video. I'm 65 years old (live in Texas) and I still have 107 Matchboxes from when I was a kid in the 60s. All of mine are original (all Made in England) because either I bought them when I was a kid or my mom or dad bought them for me. None of them are in the original box. I keep them in two "Official" Matchbox Series Collector Cases. I actually have the red Pontiac (Non-SF), the turquoise Lincoln (Non-SF), the light blue Ford Zodiac (Non-SF) among others. I never realized that they can be faked and that they may be worth quite a bit.
I've always stated that restoring or making custom models is absolutely fine-it's a massive part of the hobby. It's when these fraudster scumbags make them to sell on as originals which has to be stamped out. G
Yes I have a common green/gold superfast one that has a 1 embossed beneath the bonnet. I think another question is with the wheels - was it only the pre-production (sea green) superfast that had solid thin wheels? And a raw metal baseplate that was not zinc coated?
Hi Martin, only pre pros will have a raw unfinished base which is a good thing as it's very difficult to replicate. The conman in Greece has a go but you can tell. Production models [Lincoln included] can have solid and hollow wheels and also a mixture of both. Regards Graham.
You can buy drills and rivets on evilbay, I used them for my code 3 models but I say that they are rebuilt and repainted. I also use shrews not rivets.
Yeah, but with this scum bag he uses genuine Lesney rivets and shaves them down to glue into position. This means 2/3 genuine models are wrecked to do this. There is nothing wrong in restoring models or even replicating rare models as long as they are sold as such. His work is purely to deceive and to con buyers. G
I have been wondering why poor condition models seem to be selling so well on eBay - are the scammers buying them and “restoring” them and selling them as mint. Great trick here making the rivets look undisturbed.
Hi, restoring a model isn't the problem here. Nothing wrong with that and is part of the hobby as long as if when sold its described as "restored". It's when a model is doctored to deceive a buyer where the problem lies.
No problem with that, it's when models are doctored to become something they are not to deceive potential victims. Restoring models is part of the hobby, making fakes to sell is not. G
@@rockertron I find restoring models as fake tbh, especially repainting them. I think i got done recently with 2 models which are mint but the cars feel sticky. Nothing on the description of sale to say repainted but i believe they were and from 2 different Ebay accounts. Luckily didn't cost much i'm just peed off that i may have bought something not original.
I been into colling 1/64 scale for years I find very old ones and I restore them if needed. I would never call them fake they are restored if I sell a restored build. I tell the buyer right up front . So they know.
What I’m really curious about is are these cars original as far as paint goes? Because of they are, this person takes beautiful original cars and does this, which is even sadder.
Absolutely, genuine body, genuine chassis, genuine rivets which have been cobbled together. I've had battles with this fraudster before and he said that his creations would take any inspection because he knows the essential components are original. The way to expose this fraudster was to take his fake models apart. 100% conclusive proof. At the end of the day you DO NOT buy super rare models for a few hundred quid. G
A lot of it comes down to who you are likely to buy from. Do the basic background checks and see what they are also selling, what they have sold and what is their history with selling rare toys. The Lincoln in question the scumbag has sold dozens! You are lucky to own one genuine example in your lifetime like myself. Took me 28 years to find one. So don't buy off sellers who hide behind auction site usernames-buy of credible dealers and auction houses with trading history. You don't buy this sort of model for a few hundred quid of ebay-simple.
A lot of it comes down to who you bought it from. I know who the fraudsters are but many don't. There are always tell tell signs but this is too much to post right now, but keep watching the videos and you'll get good insights. G
Indeed they do! I have over the years seen some real howlers go through auction hoses. This is because most auction houses don't have specialist cataloguers and do not know what they are handling. G
Well done Graham, collectors best interests at heart. Top man.
Absolutely, we now need to recover the funds but with this evidence it should be simple.
40+ year Matchbox collector in the US here, these are excellent videos and I'm glad you've made them, but I don't believe that some of these cars are as rare as people claim; the mint green Lincoln SF certainly is, ditto the red Pontiac (I know because I'm after one!), but some of the others you show here, like the green Ferrari, the blue 300SE, and even the blue Zodiac, are not in the same category; I have less-than-mint but still decent copies of all 3 that I bought as a kid at Matchbox collector swap meets back in the mid 1980's for about $12. Are they fakes? I suppose they could be, but was anyone faking rare Matchboxes 40 years ago? It seems to me that the prices on these toys have gotten so crazy that the values are distorted. Like it or not, that kind of frenzied "investment spending" is going to invite fraud. Caveat Emptor.
Hi, thanks for your post. You are quite correct there are models here which are not in the same league as the Lincoln, Pontiac etc. The trouble is you have models like the Zodiac which are worth several hundred pounds in decent condition which can be made by destroying 2 common models. This is why the scum bag fakers do this because you can pick up 2 Zodiacs for a few quid and then transpose parts to make a model worth a few hundred. Blue Merc's, Green Ferrari's etc I don't consider rare but they are desirable- again it's why they are faked. If you bought yours with some play wear a long time ago I'm sure they'll be genuine.
2:45 Also easy to spot that the rivet isn't genuine because the old rivet has been drilled out too deep and there is a "gap" around the rivet.
Thanks for this video. I'm 65 years old (live in Texas) and I still have 107 Matchboxes from when I was a kid in the 60s. All of mine are original (all Made in England) because either I bought them when I was a kid or my mom or dad bought them for me. None of them are in the original box. I keep them in two "Official" Matchbox Series Collector Cases. I actually have the red Pontiac (Non-SF), the turquoise Lincoln (Non-SF), the light blue Ford Zodiac (Non-SF) among others. I never realized that they can be faked and that they may be worth quite a bit.
Yeah, unfortunately there are scum bags out there who want to make a buck. I just hope I can help others to avoid the fakes. G
Hi Graham, try & get this on Facebook you will reach more people. Bet he's a bad dentist as well. Pete.
Hi Pete, yep enough people are now sharing it. Ta!
Thank you for exposing this and the features of various tell tale signs
Right you are. I modify the 1-75 series myself, so I don,t pay much for them anyway 🤔
I've always stated that restoring or making custom models is absolutely fine-it's a massive part of the hobby. It's when these fraudster scumbags make them to sell on as originals which has to be stamped out. G
@@rockertron Right you are - buyers BEWARE!
Yes I have a common green/gold superfast one that has a 1 embossed beneath the bonnet. I think another question is with the wheels - was it only the pre-production (sea green) superfast that had solid thin wheels? And a raw metal baseplate that was not zinc coated?
Hi Martin, only pre pros will have a raw unfinished base which is a good thing as it's very difficult to replicate. The conman in Greece
has a go but you can tell. Production models [Lincoln included] can have solid and hollow wheels and also a mixture of both. Regards Graham.
You can buy drills and rivets on evilbay, I used them for my code 3 models but I say that they are rebuilt and repainted. I also use shrews not rivets.
Yeah, but with this scum bag he uses genuine Lesney rivets and shaves them down to glue into position. This means 2/3 genuine models are wrecked to do this. There is nothing wrong in restoring models or even replicating rare models as long as they are sold as such. His work is purely to deceive and to con buyers. G
Very interesting video. Thank you for sharing!
No problem, please share with as many people your end. Regards Graham.
I have been wondering why poor condition models seem to be selling so well on eBay - are the scammers buying them and “restoring” them and selling them as mint. Great trick here making the rivets look undisturbed.
Hi, restoring a model isn't the problem here. Nothing wrong with that and is part of the hobby as long as if when sold its described as "restored". It's when a model is doctored to deceive a buyer where the problem lies.
Gosh ,im a collector and frequently do take the models apart for some restoration work. Dont really think of them as fake ,but as being worked on .❤
No problem with that, it's when models are doctored to become something they are not to deceive potential victims. Restoring models is part of the hobby, making fakes to sell is not. G
@@rockertron I find restoring models as fake tbh, especially repainting them. I think i got done recently with 2 models which are mint but the cars feel sticky. Nothing on the description of sale to say repainted but i believe they were and from 2 different Ebay accounts. Luckily didn't cost much i'm just peed off that i may have bought something not original.
Which models are they? If they are from the late sixties/early seventies there were some paint issues which made some sticky.
@@rockertron One of them is a Pink Ford Capri with black bonnet, can't remember the other one now as i've been buying a lot.
@@worldVHS Yeah, that is a model that can have a sticky paint finish. The later issue orange and crimson versions are okay though.
Hi, is this general rule that 1 underneath the body would indicate regular wheels and 2 superfast? Or is this just for the Lincoln?
Hi, the cast number isn't conclusive apparently but the roof rivet is and as you can see it has been glued. Total fakes.
@@rockertron thank you
thank you for the info Graham
A pleasure, the more collectors are aware then the better the market will be. G
I been into colling 1/64 scale for years I find very old ones and I restore them if needed. I would never call them fake they are restored if I sell a restored build. I tell the buyer right up front . So they know.
Yep, nothing wrong with that-part of the hobby. It's when models are made or doctored to deceive. G
What I’m really curious about is are these cars original as far as paint goes? Because of they are, this person takes beautiful original cars and does this, which is even sadder.
Absolutely, genuine body, genuine chassis, genuine rivets which have been cobbled together. I've had battles with this fraudster before and he said that his creations would take any inspection because he knows the essential components are original. The way to expose this fraudster was to take his fake models apart. 100% conclusive proof. At the end of the day you DO NOT buy super rare models for a few hundred quid. G
Interesting, and how to identify the real once? what criteria I should look for?
A lot of it comes down to who you are likely to buy from. Do the basic background checks and see what they are also selling, what they have sold and what is their history with selling rare toys. The Lincoln in question the scumbag has sold dozens! You are lucky to own one genuine example in your lifetime like myself. Took me 28 years to find one. So don't buy off sellers who hide behind auction site usernames-buy of credible dealers and auction houses with trading history. You don't buy this sort of model for a few hundred quid of ebay-simple.
A lot of it comes down to who you bought it from. I know who the fraudsters are but many don't. There are always tell tell signs but this is too much to post right now, but keep watching the videos and you'll get good insights. G
So sad that it is necessary for some to fake for simple money..
Yep afraid so. Just hope it makes buyers more aware.
One of those rare Lincoln models sold for 10k at auction recently!
Oh where was that?
@@rockertron Actually, it was 2 years ago and it's on your channel. It eventually went for 13k. My mistake, sorry!
No worries, yes mine was a REAL one!
Could the auction houses ever get tricked too?
Indeed they do! I have over the years seen some real howlers go through auction hoses. This is because most auction houses don't have specialist cataloguers and do not know what they are handling. G
Nice models. I collect triang spot on. Play worn. Do you see themlook genuine
we´re told how to spot fakes but I´m wondering how they are made? (Not a collector myself just came across this video by accident)
If you watch the whole of this video and some of my others you'll see. G
Look genuin e 5he matchboxes. I wouldn't no difference. Who paint them
They are not painted. Parts are cobbled together to fool people.
MUCH WATCH! ??????????????
TYPO!
I don't know what this guy is doing repainting them, changing the wheels? Cheers Graham
Hi, he hasn't repainted them, they all have the bases swapped to create rare transitional models. G
Omg 😂educate yourself about models your clueless 😂😂😂
Who's that aimed at?