Hi Paul (and others) :
I fully realise who you are getting at, and believe it or not, I share your frustration. But I do feel one has to be pragmatic regarding the problem of repros/fakes.
Lets face it, we are all guilty of deriding those films or re-enactments where the uniforms or badge details are ridiculously inaccurate, while at the same time condemning such items when someone has made a concerted effort to make them at least appear authentic. You can't have it both ways. And, while one may deplore the fact that certain individuals will always exploit the situation for their own ends, it is futile to pretend we can stop this … its like trying to un-invent the atomic bomb … we have to learn to live with it.
Like it or not, we can only contest the situation by facing up to the challenge, educating ourselves, and "upping our game" to expose these frauds as and when they occur. This indeed applies to all collecting hobbies ; art, coins, and medals etc., It is no use being in denial .. that is not an option, and, if you disagree, I would be very interested to hear your solution to the problem. Regards Jeff
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