Fake Paul Ysart Paperweights
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This page was prepared in February 2003, in response to various enquiries regarding possible fake PY weights seen in fairs and auctions, including online auction sites such as eBay. All images have been prepared from my own personal research photos, taken with permission of the then owner of the items.
The maker(s) of the fake PY weights is not known to me - please do not question me on this aspect as I have no information that can usefully be shared in the public arena.
The information given here is purely for reference to examples of paperweights known to contain a false Paul Ysart signature cane. The range of styles shown so far are quite typical of many known examples but are by no means the only ones that exist. There are a number of "geometric" designs, formed from millefiori canes - but only one example is illustrated here.
Notes relating to the images shown below may be viewed through the following link:
For images of genuine Paul Ysart items and a range of the genuine signature canes, please refer to my other articles (each opening in another separate window):
The first examples of fake Paul Ysart weights are thought to have been produced in the late 1980s and these were primarily identified by what was called a "slipped Y" cane and a "20-cog outer sleeve". Others were subsequently found with a signature cane in which the P and Y were better positioned, but were comparatively small in relation to the overall size of the cane.
Following research by members of the Cambridge Paperweight Circle, it is now believed that all fake PY canes have a distinctive feature of an orange colour to the "P" and a pink colour to the "Y". However, as shown in the images at the top of the page, this feature is not always very clear, even when enlarged. Trying to assess the colours of the P and Y in a printed auction catalogue image or an online listing can be extremely difficult. Even when personally examining an item it can be hard, without a magnifying glass and adequate lighting, to be sure about the cane.
Sellers of these items are often quite open about their status and the price is usually set accordingly. But there still remains a percentage of sellers who, through no real fault of their own, or sometimes through a desire to deceive, advertise these weights as genuine Paul Ysart pieces. Hopefully the images shown below will assist in the identification of items that deserve to be examined more closely
[In some cases the photographs were taken without a tripod or close-focus facility. This has resulted in very few adequate views of the signature canes and, indeed, some completely out-of-focus images! I have selected the best image for each and I hope that enough detail is provided for recognition.]
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The following is a selection of canes from the above weights. Again, the images are not of the best quality but should give an idea of the style of that can be found. The ordering is by cane structure: "daisy", "six-cane-outer", "seven-cane-outer", and so on. Butterfly and Dragonfly wing canes are not specifically shown here but can be viewed in the main images.
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