Although experts like Puckett can detect reproductions and steer clear of them, the presence of so many cheap look-alikes is hurting collectors anyway. People get scared. They don't want to put their money where it's not going to retain its value. How these reproductions end up in antique shops is no mystery. Burkholder says that a true collector can distinguish between, say, his Roseville copies and real Roseville.
Federal law requires that all objects imported into the United States show the country of origin.
And that's the way the wholesalers sell them. Ind. But more often they don't. Or an item is bought and sold so often nobody knows its true origin. The real trouble begins with pieces bought by unscrupulous dealers, flea-market operators, and auctioneers. N.C. Dealers themselves are often not aware that an item is a copy.