Fake Sonnets On The Internet

[PeterR-C]

I have purchased numerous sonnets via the internet over recent years. I have so far encountered only honest vendors, and have been pleased with what they sold me. My luck has however run out. Sonnet fanciers will have seen recent very cheap sonnets advertised from China, and some of these are straight copies of the French originals: the 'silver circle' and 'gold circle' copy the tartan ST and GT from the 2003 sonnets, and the 'silver diamond' and 'gold diamond' copy the premium silver and gold lustre from 2008. I bought a Chinese gold diamond a while back for £8.99 just to have a look, and I got what I paid for: a cheap and cheerful look-alike but instantly recognisable as not the original and genuine.

 

I was looking for a Premium gold lustre, and encountered one for €120, sold by a southern European vendor with a flashy website. The wording and photos were just a bit unclear, and the vendor's replies to my emailed queries were nearly enough satisfactory. So I paid up. And it has arrived. And despite the signed 'certificate of authenticity' and other paperwork it is clearly one of the Chinese £8.99 variety. One lives and learns. CAVEAT EMPTOR, as they used to say where the pen came from.

 

So that others may not suffer the same fate, the photo herewith shows a genuine sonnet on the left; the Chinese £8.99 effort on the right; and my current disaster in the middle. Note the following:

 

- the arrow fletches in the real thing are fine and taper to each end, but in the other two they are blunt ended, stamped into the metal

- the date stamps on both 2020 pens, and a couple of other Chinese ones I have seen, are all IIIQ

- the date stamps are not so deep or clear (NB genuine 2008 sonnets have the stamp in the centre of the band, so in this respect the Chinese ones are like the genuine ones)

- the hatches in the lines are clumsy and irregular on the cap of both modern Chinese pens - real ones are grouped more like on the barrel of these pens

 

Older and wiser...

 

Peter

 

 

[PeterR-C]

[langere]

Thank you for a valuable way to distinguish the authentic from the fake Sonnets - a recurring problem.

 

Erick

[sansenri]

what about complaining with the seller? 120 euro for a Chinese copy is unacceptable...

(southern Europe... )

[Slimfish]

Looked at your images above.

 

Most modern fakes are vastly better than the ones that you have shown.

 

The cap band printing is a better guide.

 

Never seen one that matches Parker print tooling.

 

Over the next few days I may add photography some of the better fakes I have looked at recently.

 

Possibly add a few comments.

[The Blue Knight]

I've got my two Sonnets so I don't really need to look for more but especially on Ebay if you do a bit of research on the seller you can normally identify a fake, The obvious thing being feedback however things like the other items they are selling, if the pen is part of a job lot of other Parker pens, if it's a scarce model in new condition with no packaging being sold on the cheap, weather it in correct for the time period packaging etc.

 

I

[thx1138]

Looked at your images above.

 

Most modern fakes are vastly better than the ones that you have shown.

 

The cap band printing is a better guide.

 

Never seen one that matches Parker print tooling.

 

Over the next few days I may add photography some of the better fakes I have looked at recently.

 

Possibly add a few comments.

 

Are you able to load a higher resolution photo of these fakes please?

[welch]

Dangerous fake. I assume that any $9 or 9 Euro Sonnet from China is a fake. However, a 120 Euro Sonnet sold from Europe would look like a reasonable price from a reasonable source. Ugly.

[PeterR-C]

Thanks for these replies. Yes I have sent a rude email to the vendor, but they have a no returns policy so I'm basically stuffed.

 

Slimfish - you seem more expert in this than I am. If there are fake sonnets better than the ones I've shown in the photos, then I for one won't be spotting them. It would be really good if you could post good photos and diagnostic criteria. Although I dread what I might find when I look through the ones I've got!

[IThinkIHaveAProblem]

Thanks for these replies. Yes I have sent a rude email to the vendor, but they have a no returns policy so I'm basically stuffed.

 

Slimfish - you seem more expert in this than I am. If there are fake sonnets better than the ones I've shown in the photos, then I for one won't be spotting them. It would be really good if you could post good photos and diagnostic criteria. Although I dread what I might find when I look through the ones I've got!

Can’t you file a complaint with pay pal or your credit card company?

[Slimfish]

I have been mindful to keep this short, very short.

 

Over the years I have been interested in looking at Sonnet fakes.

The majority were made in China.

 

There are fake spare parts for sale on UK ebay from a seller in Huddersfield Yorkshire.

He seems to do rather well, has sold 100’s of nibs and other parts.

 

Whilst most of early fakes are easy to spot to the trained eye, some of the later ones are very very good. The only fault that I have noticed is the cap band printing.

 

If they are used a lot for a short time the plating fails very quickly.

 

Have yet to see a fake using the ‘ New ‘ style Sonnet cap.

 

Have added some images of some of the variants - 5 different pens.

I am not going to insult anyones intelligence by pointing out the obvious flaws.

 

Most of the early nibs had terrible printing on them.

The latest ones ( UK ebay ) are not that much better – the arrow in the diamond, the 750 etc.

I am told that they write rather well but the gold finish wears out very quickly.

[Slimfish]

Have more images to show.

 

It appears this interface is limited to 3 per post.

[Matlock]

It is interesting that one of your fakes purports to be Sterling Silver. What nib does it have?

[PeterR-C]

Thanks for the photos Slimfish. I'd love to see the rest. The red one seems to have the same square-ended feathers that I showed in my photo, and it looks as if the date code is III Q, the same as on my fakes. I've also seen the fakes from Yorkshire and they too are dated III Q, so I guess they are all made in the same Chinese factory.

 

Your other ones are a bit more worrying. The feathers are not square-ended. But they do look a bit variable in depth, and altogether clumsy. The pens look like cascade gold, ciselé, and cascade silver and I didn't know there were fake versions of them. I've looked carefully at the cap band printing on mine, and they are (I think and hope) the real thing.

 

Thanks again for the photos, they are a real help.

 

Peter

[Matlock]

Thanks for the photos Slimfish. I'd love to see the rest. The red one seems to have the same square-ended feathers that I showed in my photo, and it looks as if the date code is III Q, the same as on my fakes. I've also seen the fakes from Yorkshire and they too are dated III Q, so I guess they are all made in the same Chinese factory.

 

Your other ones are a bit more worrying. The feathers are not square-ended. But they do look a bit variable in depth, and altogether clumsy. The pens look like cascade gold, ciselé, and cascade silver and I didn't know there were fake versions of them. I've looked carefully at the cap band printing on mine, and they are (I think and hope) the real thing.

 

Thanks again for the photos, they are a real help.

 

Peter

 

You have to be very careful as some genuine Sonnets can look a little suspect. I bought one from the Parker store in Harrods some while back and it displayed all the, so called, tell tail signs of a fake. It was a definite genuine pen though with a 18k gold nib. Buying on the internet can present some real problems though.

[CS388]

Thanks for these replies. Yes I have sent a rude email to the vendor, but they have a no returns policy so I'm basically stuffed.

 

 

Sorry, wrote a reply thinking you had purchased from ebay. Now deleted.

 

Great thread. I'm not familiar enough with the Sonnet to spot all the nuances which identify a counterfeit, so this is an education.

Edited May 18, 2020 by CS388

[Slimfish]

It appears that I have been blocked from adding any more images on this topic.

[corgicoupe]

Use the Upload tab rather than the Attach.

[PeterR-C]

Thanks to all for your replies. With your encouragement I have complained to the vendor. I don't suppose much will happen but it gives a little personal satisfaction.

 

Slimfish - if you are still following this thread, I'd love to see more photos with diagnostic points. Matlock - I take your point about some good ones possibly looking like fakes. Do you have photos?

 

Peter

[Matlock]

Matlock - I take your point about some good ones possibly looking like fakes. Do you have photos?

 

Peter

 

Sadly not as I am in the process of moving (when this lockdown ends) and I don't have access to the pens at the moment. The suspect aspects were rather poor lettering. Of course if the nib is supposed to be gold then this can easily be checked, not so easy if it is a s/s nib. I have a fake MB with a nib that is marked 14k gold but nearly pulled the magnet out of my hand when I tested it.