Jeez...whod a thunk it. Reproductions of figural ceramic post-war Japan decanters! You know the type, the deep chocolate brown-glazed pieces. Most originalscats, dogs, sad-faced bartenders and amply endowed females are now considered very kitschy and collectible. They are so attractively tacky they are being reproduced.

A new method of decorating ceramics is being found on recently examined reproductions. The new method can essentially decorate the entire object with one transfer. This technique eliminates almost all hand decoration by semiskilled workers and allows virtually unskilled workers to complete the decoration of an entire object.

A particularly ambitious series of fakes is currently making the round of on-line auctions, shows and malls. Some enterprising forger has been created chain prints featuring Winchester products and advertising. The fakes have been bringing $150 to over $500 each.

Americas back roads were once forested with colorful homemade signs hawking everything from farm produce to lodgings, local sights to cheap cafes and gasoline.

The copper foil technique is a relatively modern method in the centuries old practice of making leaded glass. It dates from about 1880. Although widely attributed specifically to the workshops of LC Tiffany, it was a general evolution developed by many glass artisans working in the last quarter of the 19th century.

At the turn of the century, Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) was a leader in Arts and Crafts movement. Hubbard, with others who shared his beliefs, founded the Roycroft Community in East Aurora, New York (about 12 miles south of Buffalo).

From the late 1940's to 1976, Marx Toys produced a series of large elaborate playsets. Each set was designed with a particular historical theme or tied into a popular movie or television series. Some typical examples are the American Civil War, Cape Canaveral, Davy Crockett, Zorro, Ben Hur, The Untouchables, and Wagon Train. Over several hundred different sets and variations were made.

Around 1850, Samuel Peck developed a material made from shellac and wood fiber that became known generically as thermoplastic. Pecks own name for the material was Union.

A number of snuff bottles that imitate ivory are being offered by an American antiques reproduction importer. The bottles are made of bone which has been stained to resemble the patina on antique ivory. The new bottles can be identified as bone not ivory because of the numerous pits and grooves seen under 10X magnification. Wholesale prices for various shapes and designs are 68 each.

These new paper mache pumpkins with wire handles are among the most recent Halloween collectibles to be reproduced. A single manufacturer offers a variety of Halloween items including a wide selection of cardboard diecuts and paper mache figurals. Most items are under 20. Black lights can often, but not always, detect new pieces by making new glue and new paper fluoresce.