There is no legitimate reason for one designer’s mark to be found on another designer’s corkscrew.
How do we know these are bad marks? All have been found where they don’t belong – just like a Mercedes symbol on a Volkswagen van – or in conjunction with another mark where it didn’t belong. See the REPUBLICAN ELEPHANTS page for an example of marks not belonging.
We have not shown any genuine marks because we were asked not to. And, they are very complex to explain. Naturally, marking dies wore out with use, and replacements were slightly different. It takes a great deal of study to understand the real marks.
Some people might protest that this page tells the fakers how to improve their marks. However, we are sure that they already have plentiful examples of authentic marks. Their problem is they can only deal with amateur backroom die makers whose marks are lousy because a professional, legitimate die maker would definitely question one’s motives in ordering something like a [wHw] marking die. Our first “HagenauerFakes” website resulted in a number of the fakers’ marks being changed, but the new ones are still crude and easily detected. Some of the “new improved” fake marks are shown here. We will update this site as we become aware of new bad marks.
Most corkscrews bear only two or three marks. If you find that one of them is a fake mark you can rest assured that the other ones are too, even if they are not shown here.
It should be noted that if the item is marked on a curved surface, or the die was held at an angle, the mark will be distorted or perhaps incomplete.
How do we know these are bad marks? All have been found where they don’t belong – just like a Mercedes symbol on a Volkswagen van – or in conjunction with another mark where it didn’t belong. See the REPUBLICAN ELEPHANTS page for an example of marks not belonging.
We have not shown any genuine marks because we were asked not to. And, they are very complex to explain. Naturally, marking dies wore out with use, and replacements were slightly different. It takes a great deal of study to understand the real marks.
Some people might protest that this page tells the fakers how to improve their marks. However, we are sure that they already have plentiful examples of authentic marks. Their problem is they can only deal with amateur backroom die makers whose marks are lousy because a professional, legitimate die maker would definitely question one’s motives in ordering something like a [wHw] marking die. Our first “HagenauerFakes” website resulted in a number of the fakers’ marks being changed, but the new ones are still crude and easily detected. Some of the “new improved” fake marks are shown here. We will update this site as we become aware of new bad marks.
Most corkscrews bear only two or three marks. If you find that one of them is a fake mark you can rest assured that the other ones are too, even if they are not shown here.
It should be noted that if the item is marked on a curved surface, or the die was held at an angle, the mark will be distorted or perhaps incomplete.
Mark #1 is one of several fake [RR] marks in circulation. This particular one was found on the same corkscrew as the [MADE IN AUSTRIA] #2 below, which is also found on fakes marked [wHw]. It's worth mentioning that the [RR] mark has absolutely nothing to do with Rena Rosenthal.
Mark #2 is found on a large number of [RR] and [wHw] fakes, no matter which dealer found it. Rohac’s mark was curved, so if you find this on something also marked [RR] you don’t have to wonder if the [RR] mark is correct; you now have a chance to study a known fake [RR] mark. In Hagenauer’s mark, the [MADE IN] was narrower than the [AUSTRIA]. A [wHw] found with this bad [MADE IN AUSTRIA] is also fake.
Mark #3 is a recent version of the Rohac [MADE IN AUSTRIA] mark. At 5mm it is the correct width; however, the engraver had a lot of problems making the tiny letters. This is a difficult mark to read, often heavily stamped so that no details show. We had to rub “white out” into the marks to make them show.
Bosse and Baller stamped their pieces [AUSTRIA], not [MADE IN AUSTRIA].
Mark #4 is quite large and has some very distinctive characteristics, such as the serif on the head of the “R” and the very short top bar on the “T”.
#5 is a small mark where the letters “STRIA” all are connected or run together, depending on how the die was struck.
The [BOSSE] mark #6 is quite well done except for the small size and the short middle arm of the “E.” However, even though the [AUSTRIA] mark below it has been double struck, it is easy to recognize it as fake mark #5, thus this [BOSSE] mark found on the same piece is also a fake.
#7 is a tiny mark in a strange font, not even close to a real [BOSSE] mark.
Mark #8 is also quite large and usually found in conjunction with Mark #4. The “E” has a short centre arm and the inside corners are rounded.
#9 and #10 are two examples of the ultimate in amateur mark-making. “Straight,” “crisp,” and “not touching each other or the outer circle” were not concepts this engraver understood. We did not bother with the little red arrows as they would completely cover the marks.
#11 looks pretty good, appearing – without the aid of a lens – to be crisp, and the lumpy W’s don't touch anything. But since it is on a copy of a cat corkscrew designed by Rohac, not Hagenauer, it is a fake.
We’ve seen two tiny (2-3mm) 800 silver marks, normally used only by silversmiths, on corkscrews. No Austrian figural corkscrew was ever cast in 800 silver by the workshop that designed it.
