There is a lot of new metal with a country look coming in from India. This set of round metal boxes with embossed star is typical. Most pieces are thin lightweight steel painted a dull brown to simulate an aged patina.

New brass instruments continue to improve. This latest piece, a copy of a 19th century folding compass, has an engraved chart screwed on the back and is marked Stanley, London in two places(arrows). New instruments, including sextants, telescopes, levels and other pieces, marked with names of authentic 19th century makers have been reproduced since about 1998. Look for crude grinding marks and small plastic parts.

Every Halloween brings more reproductions of vintage pieces and 2003 was no exception. Some of the more inventive pieces include cardboard wall pockets and hand-knitted treat bags. Modern designers are also turning to different vintage sources for their designs. The pumpkin and goat figure in Fig. 2, for example, was copied from an image originally printed on an early postcard. The printed image was copied to produce this three-dimensional figure.

A new line of comic character toy flashlights imitates a highly collectible series of vintage originals. The new lights wholesale for less than one dollar each. Vintage lights with original boxes can sell for $250-$350.

Yes...glub, glub, glub....theyre back. The plastic frogmen and submarine included as premiums in 1950s cereal boxes are being reproduced.

New wood propellers resembling pre-1940 originals have been in the market for some time. Until now, all the new pieces have been made from a single piece of solid wood. Original wood propellers were almost always laminated from many pieces and layers of wood, not one single solid piece.

Plastic kitchen figures originally used by Aunt Jemima pancake mix as sales premiums have been reproduced in ceramic forms. The original plastic syrup was introduced in 1949; the other original pieces followed in the early 1950s. Originals were made throughout the 1950s until the early to mid-1960s.

Buyers of high performance cars made during the 1960s, 70 be warned. Hundreds of victims are discovering they have been victims of elaborate scams.

Most everyone knows that handmade nails are older than machine made nails. But could you identify a handmade nail if you saw one? And could you separate an old nail from a reproduction nail? In addition to looking at how old nails were made, this article will also discuss how to examine nail holes, rust left by nails plus where, how and why specific types and shapes of nails were used.

A variety of new brass tags have been appearing with names of various places, events, activities and companies associated with Americas old west. All of the tags seen so far have been fantasy pieces, items created solely for the reproduction market. No old counterparts to these items ever existed.