I *think* I have just seen whole room of people get ripped off.

peter_the_piper

Money being tight and a little greed, add the two together and you have a victim.

elektra

Advocatus wrote: »

http://www.coopersinternationalauctions.com/

I am no expert, but the "fine art" was almost certainly all mass produced at a factory in China. In fact, it was exactly the same stuff you see being hawked for £50 quid (one you bargain) in those gold coloured frames along Picaddilly and Baywater on a weekend.

The advertised them as being completely genuine from genuine English artists. I had looked the artists up online and what I saw in that room was certainly not what I thought I would see. In fact, I looked closely at the signatures on two paintings that were side by side. I couldn't help but notice that: (a) the artist had not used cursive hand which is very unsual and (b) the letters in both paintings were disturbing similar, the same letter used in different names - clearly a forgery!

saw an item on TV recently about painting forgery you describe above, can't remember the program maybe 'the one show' of'Fake' show.

Buyer beware

porto_bello

toddles* wrote: »

Im sure I saw a piece on watchdog a few years ago about these auctions, not sure if the same company but very similar. they also plant people in the crowd to drive up the price of the auctions. I think watchdog bought a few items and got them professionally valued. Needless to say it was all fake carp!

I vaguely remember something similar, notably the signatures on the paintings still being wet!

Maybe this was the programme?
http://whatconsumer.co.uk/forum/consumer-rights-television-programmes/10466-bbc-watchdog-auctions-come-under-rogue-hammer.html

vax2002

You will never run out of mugs, ask any PPC company

Advocatus

porto_bello wrote: »

I vaguely remember something similar, notably the signatures on the paintings still being wet!

Maybe this was the programme?
http://whatconsumer.co.uk/forum/consumer-rights-television-programmes/10466-bbc-watchdog-auctions-come-under-rogue-hammer.html

Spot on. That was the joker who made (at worst ) racist or (at best) ignorant statment about the Vietnamese.

Something needs to be done. Surely, mispresenting goods as something else and making a profit is a criminal offence?

porto_bello

Advocatus wrote: »

Something needs to be done. Surely, mispresenting goods as something else and making a profit is a criminal offence?

I note at the bottom of the the link I posted that TV antiques expert Curtiss Dowling is quoted in relation to the unfolding events at the previous auctions. Why not approach him and ask his advice?
http://www.curtisantiques.co.uk/

RHemmings

Advocatus wrote: »

Spot on. That was the joker who made (at worst ) racist or (at best) ignorant statment about the Vietnamese.

Something needs to be done. Surely, mispresenting goods as something else and making a profit is a criminal offence?

There is quite a bit of criminality that goes on because people know that there's one line to cross where something becomes illegal, and another line to cross where the same thing can be enforced by the law.

I've been told directly that the police do take note of reports of crime, and if they get repeated notifications of criminal behaviour, then they're more likely to go after it. The serious fraud office does (or at least did) have a section on their site where people can report fraud. (Looks). Here it is: https://report.sfo.gov.uk/providing-information-to-the-sfo.aspx If anyone thinks that more should be done about this type of fraud or this particular person/company/organisation, then they should report it.

birkee

It seems the matter of art has been raised, and that's a really dodgy area to be in.
If you can buy it in an art(?) shop, it's junk.

Real art is painted for arts sake, or by commission from a customer (portraits etc), it is not created for the market place to be sold in shops.
If you look at the art in the shopping centre shops, most of it is stomach turning mass production, or copies of something which only has value as an original .... even then .... usually devalued by the mass copies.
How much value is there in a print of the Mona Lisa bought in one of these shops?
How much value is there in an original, when there are two hundred so very similar, that you have to study them, to spot the differences between them? Junk!

RFW

RHemmings wrote: »

There is quite a bit of criminality that goes on because people know that there's one line to cross where something becomes illegal, and another line to cross where the same thing can be enforced by the law.

I've been told directly that the police do take note of reports of crime, and if they get repeated notifications of criminal behaviour, then they're more likely to go after it. The serious fraud office does (or at least did) have a section on their site where people can report fraud. (Looks). Here it is: https://report.sfo.gov.uk/providing-information-to-the-sfo.aspx If anyone thinks that more should be done about this type of fraud or this particular person/company/organisation, then they should report it.

Police will act after the event, Trading Standards can act to stop events where the public may be at risk of fraud from going ahead. I haven't dealt with TS for a while but they used to be pretty good at dealing with companies like this, as well as networking with other areas where they may be operating.

Myint_Thein

I went to coopersinternationalauctions auction last week. They advertise in Evening Standard newspaper that no reserve so I went there hoping to get diamonds with very good price.

I am a Professional Jewellery Valuer and grading diamonds everyday and I went to the auction room with my own diamond ring which is E colour to compare. I have checked 3 big diamond rings that suppose to be with AGI diamond grading report but they were no where near to what they say they were.

Grading report said diamond 4.90 carats, H colour (Near Colourless) , VS1 (Very Slight Inclusion) clarity
Actual grade N/O colour (Very light yellowish tint), VS2/SI1 (Slightly Included) Clarity

Grading was wrong and reserve price was too high so I didn't buy anything that day. But Auctioneer was very good and we had lots of fun.