| There is a lot of documentation that has been | | | | mid-1930s. |
| written about fake porcelain. Much of this | | | | Today we are faced with inexpensively made |
| documentation can be found on the Internet. Even if | | | | imitations that carry the Limoges mark. Even though |
| you read everything there is to know on this | | | | they were not made in Limoges, France, they are still |
| subject, you will still be fooled by fakes now and | | | | marked as such. For those who are familiar with |
| again. The truth is there is no sure-fire way to | | | | authentic Limoges pieces, the poor quality of these |
| prevent you or others from being taken in by them. | | | | fakes is a dead give away. |
| As a matter of fact, you can take comfort in the | | | | The majority of phony Limoges comes from China. It |
| knowledge that even the pros get fooled. There are | | | | is now the law in the United States that imports |
| even instances where museums have been | | | | must bear the country of origin right on them. In |
| bamboozled. Of course in the case of museums, we | | | | order to conform to this law, China now places foil or |
| are talking about superbly fabricated reproductions | | | | paper labels on their porcelain to identify it as being |
| where even a highly trained expert can't tell the | | | | from China. Unfortunately, because they use foil or |
| difference. | | | | paper labels, retailers can easily remove these labels |
| Believe it or not, there are very few antique dealers | | | | leaving just the Limoges signature behind. |
| who are knowledgeable enough about more than one | | | | Another blatant example are newer pieces of |
| category of the antiques business to identify all fakes | | | | porcelain that are signed Occupied Japan. While not |
| with ease. Someone who is proficient when it comes | | | | considered high-end porcelain back when it was |
| to vintage toys would probably have a difficult time | | | | exported to the United States and elsewhere, it has |
| identifying an art forgery. | | | | since developed a following. There are some people |
| The porcelain pieces produced today that carry | | | | who only collect Occupied Japan pieces. |
| phony marks or signatures are designed to deceive | | | | Japan's occupation by the United States after WWII |
| because they actually claim to be something that | | | | happened from 1945 to 1952 and all products made in |
| they are not. These are much worse than those | | | | Japan for export during that period were so marked. |
| fake pieces with no markings at all. The pieces that | | | | In the last couple of years we have seen brand new |
| are unmarked may look like old pieces but the | | | | porcelain figurines marked "Made in Occupied Japan." |
| companies that manufacture them do not identify | | | | In order for this mark to be accurate, these new |
| them as anything other than porcelain. | | | | pieces could only have been made during that |
| In recent years, the United States has been | | | | seven-year period back in the 1940s and 1950s. |
| inundated with many examples of fake porcelain, as | | | | Unfortunately, the paint on these newer items is |
| well as many other fake wares. One of the most | | | | barely dry yet. |
| blatant examples of those that carry phony marks is | | | | There is no substitute for actually handling as many |
| Limoges. There are some people who mistakenly | | | | pieces of vintage or antique porcelain as you can. |
| confuse Limoges as being the name of a company | | | | After a while you get to know the difference |
| like Lenox or Royal Doulton. Limoges is actually a city | | | | between real and not so real but as we have already |
| in France where a number of outstanding factories | | | | established nothing is foolproof. |
| produced fine porcelain from the early 1700s to the | | | | |