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!