New copies of vintage photo postcards are commonly represented as old. Many of the new cards are made in Connecticut with over 200 different subjects such as baseball stars, advertising, railroad scenes, autos, motorcycles and other vintage images. Cards are sepia tone (brown) images and are true photographs not halftone images made on a printing press.

One of the non-traditional materials used in American folk art is metal bottle caps. As interest in this field, or so-called "outsider art", has being growing, recently made items from new bottle caps are helping meet the demand.

This 1930'ssomething looking serving table is made of painted wood. The figure is dressed like a soda jerk from the same period. Height, 32"; base 17" X 11".

Several reproductions of Aladdin lamps and accessories entered the market in fall of 2003. One piece, a brass insect screen, has not been reproduced before. Two styles of lamps which were first reproduced in 2002, Vertique and Diamond Quilt, are now being made in additional more confusing colors. The following tips will help you separate these latest reproductions from the original items.

This new marble toy made of wood is similar to late 19th century tabletop parlor games. It resembles an old baseball field measuring 24 by 24 by 15 inches. Players at home base shoot steel marbles into various pockets.

Faked "folk art" iron snakes have recently been offered at shows in Pennsylvania and New Hampshire. The new snakes are made of old iron files. They are painted and come in at least several sizes. All have been priced at several hundred dollars. In August, two similar snakes were withdrawn from Skinner's Americana sale because of concerns about age.

A new cast iron goat pulling a pressed steel cart with cast iron wheels was recently shown in a past article. At that time we couldnt located any old counterpart. Subscriber Ruth Smelser recognized the piece as a copy of a Hubley original (shown below in original catalog illustration). The original cart was available with figures in the cart which included the Yellow Kid, a 19th century comic character. The reproduction has a slot in the cart in which the original figures would be placed.

Outside-horn phonographs have been manufactured in India and Pakistan since the 1980s. Only recently, however, have they become so common that they are now showing up on a regular basis in on-line auctions and at malls, shows and flea markets. Here are some simple guidelines to avoid the fakes anyone can quickly learn.

Most reproductions and reissues of railroad collectibles are either dinnerware, giveaways or hardware such as padlocks or watch fobs. The new posters and particularly the lampshade are quite a departure from what has previously been made.