Ugliest fake i've ever seen

[dano1917]

Beside this being the ugliest piece of trench art? i've ever seen, We have an M1917n/A German egg Grenade mounted on a base that reads "Ypres 1915". I am usually not one to call ordnance ugly but this has to be one of the homliest fakes i've ever seen. I remember when it sold on ebay and I put in a very modest bid, (I thought if cheap enough would be at best a novelty item) and if memory serves it brought a small fortune. If a BOCN member bought this piece I profusely apologize. As they say "in the eye of the behholder"...Dano

[NickW]

Hi Dano - I see what you mean! The grenade is clearly a recently dug heavily rusted relic given a quick coat of paint & stuck on an old piece of turned wood and stamped using a set of letter punches - why would anyone have ever put anything like this together in 1915? - the base is totally out of proportion and it just looks wrong. eBay has a lot to answer for by providing an easy no comeback venue for unscrupulous sellers - my favourite pieces are Trench Art aircraft, usually with a bullet for the fuselage - but any appearing on eBay now are almost without exception fake - same with Trench Art letter openers and lighters - these seem to be being churned out in quantity in France, as I first saw them at some of the bigger fairs there.

[dano1917]

Agreed Nick, Seems WW1 trench art is being turned out wholesale in France circa 2010 etc...Some of the thrnchart shells with finite artwork can be worth healthy dollars hence a fair market for fakes. This egg ensemble was just someones idea of a novelty joke. Beware the pricier trenchart (shell vases with great intricate artwork) because their value as a work of art can reach astounding numbers, hence big money in reproduction/fantasy pieces....Dano