Are rarematchtickets.com destroying the ticket market?

[footballprogrammes.com]

I was totally unaware of this website until a customer raised concerns about a ticket I sold him. Upon visiting the site I was amazed to see the owner has reproduced over NINE HUNDRED different tickets. The quality is superb and most appear to have perforated edges where applicable.

Now I have absolutely no problem with anybody reproducing anything as long as it is clearly stated or it is on modern paper so it is blatantly obvious it is not the genuine article.

Unfortunately 'rarematchtickets' do not mark their items as such and have caused a major problem for collectors and dealers alike for the future.
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David Allen
http://www.footballprogrammes.com
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/FOOTBALL-PROGRAMMES-WAREHOUSE

[swnydwr]

Couldn't agree more - it is a major concern for collectors.

[Fishy]

Never heard of them either David but can see a problem in the future, especially if they come up for resale to unsuspecting collectors and dealers.

[rob71]

Really can't see the point in reproduction tickets but each to their own. From the descriptions on the website they appear to be printed on photo paper so it should be obvious they are not original.

[Floor Pie]

I mentioned to the buyer on facebook that the ticket you sold (unknowingly) was a reproduction. I like to think i can spot these reproductions when they pop up but i can see why people are easily fooled by them. There are a few sellers that are mainly based in Uruguay, that sell fake world cup tickets from 1930,1950,1954 & 1958! I do warn people from now and again on the facebook group for World Cup and FIFA tickets.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1550749068474293/

eBay dont care about fake tickets or programmes! I see quite often fake tickets being sold as originals from UK based sellers, it is a problem for sure for collectors that dont have knowledge of these fakes. Looking at previous auction houses results i think all the "big" auction houses have sold fakes at one time or another, Graham Budd has for sure and there are some fakes on sale now on the saleroom.com from other places including AGON auctions. But again these sellers im sure have no idea they are selling and have sold fakes in the past.
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Always looking for World Cup Tickets along with any Fifa/UEFA International Competitions

[littlewiggy]

The way technology is now, and likely to progress in future, it's something that's only going to become more common and sadly more sophisticated - hence even more of a problem.

Ironic really that the very invention/s that opened the collecting market up to the masses will likely be the same thing that kills the hobby stone dead.

[Dorking]

Hadn't heard of them before, just had a look, what a crock of shite

Funnily enough, all 13 Palace tickets they had (some reproductions) I'd been to every single game and have the actual ticket. And they aren't even that rare!

Feel for anyone buying a fake unsuspectingly though.

[seand]

In fairness to the website they are clear in distinguishing between orignal and reproduction tickets, and they're priced accordingly. The problem comes when someone- like our Belgian friend who made an appearance on here a little while ago- try to pass them off as originals.

[footballprogrammes.com]

seand wrote:

In fairness to the website they are clear in distinguishing between orignal and reproduction tickets, and they're priced accordingly. .

Yes it SAYS they are on different paper but if you actually see one it is very difficult to tell. The prices are very reasonable but why not put 'reprint' on the back? I could not tell and my customer is a highly experienced ticket collector who was only alerted when he noted the row and seat number were identical to the ticket on this site. I am sure if you sit down with a magnifying glass you can tell immediately but I bought this ticket amongst a collection of dozens of other genuine 1960s/1970s tickets so no suspicions were raised. That is the problem we all now face.
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David Allen
http://www.footballprogrammes.com
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/FOOTBALL-PROGRAMMES-WAREHOUSE

[goonerboy]

Well the answer to the topic title is a definite yes. Anybody who produces replicas/copies/reprints/reproductions etc without clearly identifying it are polluting the hobby. It only takes a few disingenuous or misguided or even unknowing collectors/dealers to spread these replicas deliberately or inadvertently and the credibility of that part of the hobby is at risk.

A couple of years ago I and a few arsenal collectors were almost caught out by some forgeries as some of the early 70s and earlier arsenal tickets are pretty basic. Similarly there were problems with forged early cup final ones.

Once these reprints get dispersed then the provenance of every ticket will be questioned and I know a couple of ticket collectors who have rarely added to their collection in last couple of years due to their concerns of whether it is genuine. These are now less collectors in the field.

The range of tickets reproduced by the owners of that website is staggering especially as many of them are not really "rare". But once more mundane tickets are reproduced and not marked as such then there will be problems and a potential lack of real ticket collectors.

[thfcbasil]

I agree with all the points raised in that reproductions, whether programmes or tickets, should clearly be marked as such. Looking at the Tottenham tickets he offers none are rare. When the likes of Wolves away in the Uefa final or early 60's and 70's european aways are offered it becomes a greater problem. Are these reproductions really that good? To my knowledge, I have only seen the Cup winners final of 1962 reproduction but it was very easy to tell it was not genuine. The difficulty would be if you have never seen a ticket for that game. I have never seen a Gornik v Tottenham ticket, the very first Spurs played in Europe so would not be certain what the real one felt like, the paper quality etc. Anyone got one or a spare to sell?!!!!!!

[Crusader66]

Agree it is difficult sometimes to distinguish a well produced replica from an original, especially when it's one you really want. That said a give-away for me is always when a 1950's or so ticket is described as mint (there is a replica 1950 FA Cup final ticket so described on Ebay today). When buying (without first seeing) i always prefer defects (folds / scores inked in by hand / gate tears /general wear and tear) that help me feel better about the authenticity of the item. Perhaps this community should set up a gallery where buyers can check for known replica's, post examples for the more experienced collectors to give their opinion on and provide descriptions of known defects between originals and copies. I know there was a previous thread that tried to help identify the hallmarks of authentic 1950 World Cup Tickets.

[swnydwr]

I have to say it was me who bought this ticket and to be honest apart from the fact somebody spotted it I would have been happy with it which is a bit of a worry. The ticket was similar in texture to one from 1980 which I have from the same ground.

I for one am going to be a lot more careful in my ebay purchases from now on. I have spent most of the afternoon going through my post war FA cup final ticket collection, thankfully I think they ok.

Most people on here would have noticed over the last few years that ticket prices have gone through the roof - will this continue with that niggling bit of doubt in our minds - it concerns me that auction sites don't seem to worry too much whether a ticket is original or not.