Am I the only one who got burned on a fake Viking axe?

I dropped $150 on what the seller swore was a real 10th century Viking axe head on Etsy last spring. Got it in the mail, took it to a local archaeologist at the university here in Duluth, and she laughed saying it was a cast iron reproduction from the 1970s. I wasted that money and felt like an idiot. Has anyone else fallen for a fake artifact online?

2 comments

2 Comments

martin.paige20d ago

Man I felt that in my gut. I got burned on a "medieval" silver coin on eBay a few years back, paid $200 for what I thought was a 12th century English penny. Took it to a coin shop and the guy just shook his head and said it was a cheap replica from some gift shop in Romania. It's a really crummy feeling, makes you question everything you think you know about spotting fakes.

grant.sam19d ago

That $200 Romanian gift shop coin probably fooled more people than just you, which is how half the "antiques" on eBay work.