ryanf23 Posted June 24, 2016 Share Posted June 24, 2016 Hi, I just won an ebay auction for the Chinese Democracy with red hand. http://www.ebay.com/itm/331884312504?_trksid=p2047675.m570.l5998&_trkparms=gh1g%3DI331884312504.N35.S2.R1.TR1 After winning, I noticed this seller has previously sold 4 or 5 copies. Is anyone aware of counterfit copies? Or am I just being paranoid now? Ryan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Powerage5 Posted June 24, 2016 Share Posted June 24, 2016 There was a guy a while ago who found a whole case of them and sold a number of them on eBay - that itself is no reason to be suspicious. I'm not sure if it's the same guy or not, but who's to say someone else hasn't found a whole case as well? We still don't know exactly how many are out there, but we do know there are far more than originally thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanf23 Posted June 24, 2016 Author Share Posted June 24, 2016 1 minute ago, Powerage5 said: There was a guy a while ago who found a whole case of them and sold a number of them on eBay - that itself is no reason to be suspicious. I'm not sure if it's the same guy or not, but who's to say someone else hasn't found a whole case as well? We still don't know exactly how many are out there, but we do know there are far more than originally thought. Thanks, I sent the seller a message asking how he had so many. He's sold 5 plus mine. Before I send him the money I want to be 100% sure. I do feel positive though...Google searching brought up nothing for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IncitingChaos Posted June 24, 2016 Share Posted June 24, 2016 Not that it can't be copied but you should have some consistencies, like the red hand cover had holes punched in one of the corners to indicate it's not for sale, the artwork is unique, and the paper should be high quality. It might be tough to spot a really good fake but I think you'd notice some issues if it were fake Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Comstock Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 Cool man, I was keeping an eye on that auction because usually they go for $50-100 more than that. I already have a copy though so it was just out of curiosity If if recall right, there was one guy who had a box full of them, (I think mediaguy was him name?) but there was another guy who sold them in bulk, I think 10 copies in a single listing or something like that, I assumed whoever bought those would've just sold one every once in a while (to keep the value up). But either way, I haven't heard of fake copies going around, I'd assume it's real 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bumblefeet Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 (edited) I own one that's legit but still sealed. I compared my copy to the one in that auction and at first glance the artwork, sticker label and cutout appear the same. Of course it is possible to make a fake. But you'd need to have a pressed CD (I'm not sure if the disc is the same as the regular release as I haven't opened mine) and as mentioned before the artwork would have to be high quality and the sticker would have to be replicated as well. I intend to leave mine sealed for the time being. I've seen the scans of the booklet, own the regular now worth 2 $ release and it's a cool item to have in the collection. Edited June 25, 2016 by Bumblefeet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanf23 Posted June 25, 2016 Author Share Posted June 25, 2016 Thanks everyone, I feel much more relieved hearing your comments and my own personal research. I just paid the guy. The seller emailed me back and said " I was one of the lucky few at the record label to get my hands on them and save them. They weren t a big deal at the time, honestly. Not until years later. " Does anyone have a guess of how many of these are floating around? I know the rumor was 30 at one time, but I know thats way off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RussTCB Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 There's a lot more than 30. Many of the Univeral sales reps were given boxes and boxes of them. The guy who put them on eBay years ago had at least 3 boxes. I'm certain there are a ton more, probably just hanging out in storage because whomever has them has no idea they'd actually be worth something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanf23 Posted June 25, 2016 Author Share Posted June 25, 2016 52 minutes ago, RussTCB said: There's a lot more than 30. Many of the Univeral sales reps were given boxes and boxes of them. The guy who put them on eBay years ago had at least 3 boxes. I'm certain there are a ton more, probably just hanging out in storage because whomever has them has no idea they'd actually be worth something. Thanks, It's always kind of neat having something rare. But, at the end of the day, I'm just a die hard fan. Fan since 1988. So, I won't keep mine sealed knowing the resale value isn't what it was at one time. I want to open it up and enjoy the album as Axl envisioned. As a fan of the original lineup, I must admit I never grew warm to nuGNR. I always considered it an Axl Rose solo project despite the name GNR. And so, Chinese Democracy for me was a good album, but not anywhere close to the other albums. I'm not much of a music downloader...I enjoy the artwork and booklet. It makes the music "more" to me. And I was always disappointed with the original artwork in Chinese Democracy. Like, the band photos cropped from a concert was the work of amatuers. Hopefully the new album booklet will bring more life to the music for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvH Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 I have never heard about such things. If the one you scored is authentic, congrats, it's a great price. I'd love to get one too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twinaleblood Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 Was it ever cleared if the How Are You Grenade version is legit or not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Comstock Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 2 hours ago, Twinaleblood said: Was it ever cleared if the How Are You Grenade version is legit or not? I don't think it was ever mass-produced like the Red Hand version, I don't know how many were made but it was apparently just for the band/management(?) Either way, I'm pretty sure it's legit. I met someone at the second residency who had one, it was pretty cool. I think the Red Hand version is the best, but I still haven't actually opened my copy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twinaleblood Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 Yep, i was wondering because the Grenade version isn't even listed on Discogs (while red hand is). I guess it's just because so few copies are floating around then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troccoli Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 On 6/26/2016 at 6:15 PM, Gordon Comstock said: I don't think it was ever mass-produced like the Red Hand version, I don't know how many were made but it was apparently just for the band/management(?) Either way, I'm pretty sure it's legit. I met someone at the second residency who had one, it was pretty cool. I think the Red Hand version is the best, but I still haven't actually opened my copy That was me! Sadly I can't tell you guys at this time how I know it's legit. All I can say is that it is. For some of you my word will be good enough. For others it won't be and that's OK. Hopefully I can tell you all one day soon! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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