This guide will be short and sweet.  I hope you have had a chance to read my other six guides on protecting yourself from Civil War relic ripoffs on e-bay.  They are plentiful, and waiting for a sucker to bid.

First, be aware that the sellers of fake items do write guides to combat legitimate guides like this one.  They are attempting to muddy the waters so that folks looking for relics that read guides will be confused about the truth.  They will accuse me, and others trying to police e-bay, of being jealous competitors who are trying to steal their bidders away.  This is how they justify the use of PRIVATE auctions.  This and "fake second chance offers."  Let me repeat this again:  PRIVATE AUCTIONS ARE WHAT SELLERS OF FAKE ITEMS USE TO HIDE BIDDERS NAMES TO PREVENT A WARNING BEING GIVEN TO THE BIDDER THAT THEY ARE BEING FLEECED, AND A WAY TO USE OTHER ID'S TO "SHILL" BID TO DRIVE UP THE PRICE.  No reputable Civil War dealer would EVER use such a tactic to sell a relic.  Only those with something to hide use this selling tactic.  NEVER BID ON A PRIVATE AUCTION unless you want to populate your collection with rapid-aged fake junk.  As to fake second-chance offers; they do exist, so be aware of it.  If you get a second chance offer contact the seller and verify that it is legit.

Be aware that a LARGE portion of relics labelled as Confederate are fakes, mislisted, or just generic or imported items that could have been used by anyone on either side.  Imported weapons were used by both sides, so most sellers of generic imported militaria will toss the Confederate label on anything in hopes that it will bring more money.  Also be aware that an imported item could have been imported last month.  The huge profits in militaria collecting have a lot of swords, knives, and guns being imported to this day from overseas.  That is why imports don't bring as much money without great provenance.  You just never know if it was actually here during the Civil war. 

Be sure you get a WRITTEN guarantee from any seller when it comes to relics.  It can be e-mailed, and needs to have contact information on it.  Avoid cell phone numbers and P.O. boxes. 

Don't be quick to buy a story with an item.  If an item comes from Gettysburg or Antietam, etc... get documentation verifying it.  And beware of sellers claiming they dug a relic.  Most diggers keep what they dig, and those that sell are known by someone in the relic community.  E-mail dealers on the internet and see if the seller is known and reputable.

A list of items that are faked on a regular basis:

Confederate swords of all types

Confederate and some US belt buckles and box plates

Confederate bowie and side knives and D-Guards

Confederate canteens

UCV (United Confederate Veterans) Medals

Confederate and UCV flags

Confederate cast buttons

Rare bullets

Confederate and Union Kepis and/or hats

Confederate & Union uniform items (jackets & trousers)

Axe blades

Solid shot cannon balls

Images (CDV's, Cabinet cards, Ambrotypes, Dags)

Brogans

Cartridge boxes

Belts

Martingales

Hat insignia

ID discs

Letters

Confederate money

Go to any search engine and enter FAKE CIVIL WAR RELICS.  There is a lot of information for the asking.  There are many legit dealers that can be accessed on civilwardealers dot com, and the American Relic Hunters has an e-bay Fakes Forum with a listing of sellers on e-bay that sell fakes on a regular basis.  Be careful if you see things like relics being sold in PRIVATE auctions, and comic book items being sold without the private listing by the same seller.  Why mix regular and private?  It shoots a hole in the excuses I listed above that fakers use to justify the PRIVATE auction scam.  Just use common sense.  If it looks too good to be true....