Thread: Escher authenticity - an interesting mistake

Every once in a while the old discussion on what constitutes an Escher is reopened. Meanwhile, most people have learned and agree that Escher is a particular brand of Thuringians, and that only stones labelled as such deserve to be called Eschers. At the same time people continue to loosely use the term for any (good) (vintage) Thuringian, be it for perceived clarity about the fineness of the hone or profit maximization.

Parallel there are discussions about veracity and authenticating features, such as aspect and labels. One of those discussions had place here, about a recent eBay sale.

In my last contribution, I mentioned another sale that had drawn my attention and spawned questions. This is what I wrote:

Originally Posted by Oldengaerde

Now that were're talking about Eschers and labels, there was another recently which drew my attention. I know who sold it and would have vouched he's bona fide (I still think he is, and he shall remain anonymous) but please tell me if this looks like an Escher to you:







To me the colour looks wrong, the surface structure looks wrong, the brown line looks wrong, the label looks wrong, and the way the label is attached looks wrong too - yet at least two people thought it looks right enough to spend nearly 400 dollars on it...

I'm ever so glad that I waited with posting this until after auction-end, and that I explicitly stated my trust in the seller's honesty. For he is a gentleman: soon after posting this, he wrote me a friendly email and patiently explained the following (my paraphrasing):

Given the looks of its favourable conservation status, I understand that one wonders (...) Together with some other hones, it has been stocked unused in a workshop for probably over eighty years. Your astonishment about the surface condition is understandable too: it is still rough from the cutting and grinding process, which was most likely done with sand. Once you've used the stone, it gets baby butt smooth. The colour aspect then changes too.
(...)
By the way, I have a yellow green thuringian labelled 'Barbers' Delight' which has the brown stripes. I have found them both in the dark blue and in the green ones.
(...)
What I have learned that there is a great variety of Eschers and that there are many things that first make us think of a fake and then we see the same feature again with other items and begin to think. For example, the goblet emblem on some hones. I always thought these aren't Eschers, until I saw an old catalogue and learned there are two product lines: one with the goblet and one with the barber shop.

And so it is. At first I saw some odd features and then I read a perfectly plausible explanation. Indeed, after close inspection of the sides of some of my own hones, I found a similar 'sandblasted' surface structure - we learn each day.

Upon reading this, I deleted the entry in the other thread and with the kind permission of said gentlemen I reposted it supplemented with his information here. On the one hand to make amends for my rash judgement, on the other so we may all learn.


Apologies to the seller, and warm congratulations to the buyer!

color may not look like escher but if you pay very good attention to the label side of the stone you will see it doesn't have flat surface . you can see clear cut of the surface. look exactly where words escher &sons finishes on top of it you will see thumb size location does have lower surface then rest.
85% eschers has that .
This stone is original escher.

I too have noticed that many genuine Eschers are hewn out of the rock and the label side is left rough and sometimes uneven under the label.

If Sham says its real, its real. My escher's label side is very rouchly cut and uneven, I can confirm this fact about eschers.

Wow...you guys do pay attention to details!

This discussions here (and many others in this forum) have been very informative. I am actually looking at getting one of these, but I must admit that I do not know much about the origins or the details like most here do .

Without having to resort to getting a Ph.D. in the field, and having a genuine interest in acquiring one for honing (along with the original, natural Yellow/BBW coticule I have), what would you fine gentlemen recommend? What kind of Escher should I get without breaking the bank (I know some of these command high >$700 ), but be able to sleep well at night, knowing full well I have one of the greats. Maybe Thuringian stone, instead of an original Escher?

Advice would greatly be appreciated

Thanks

great post, thanks artan

Less than a month later, after a sale of about 70 USD less (excluding int'l shipping), and after the loss of the original box (and the slurry stone?), all the crisp corners and virgin surfaces, and ~19 cc of Escher lapped through the drain, this hone has again found a new owner.

Note how the last seller regards the cut-marks some of us would consider valuable clues about authenticity mere flaws. Had it not been for the precious label, they'd have been lapped away completely:



(upper pictures last month, lower present state)








Still a nice hone, but the logic of this all escapes me.

@BladeRunner,

Usual sources for Eschers are: auction sites, fleamarkets, carboot sales and straight shaving forums like SRP.

I nice Escher is going to be expensive but you may be lucky.

I wonder if the second seller seperated the label to reattach it with less folds.