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6th July 06

 

Someone sent me this pic.

A certificate with a scarab attached to it.

Unfortunately not the entire pic was downloaded.

 

 




 

I would be really interested to hear from anyone else who has bought something with a certificate like this one.

 

 



 

Really! What nonsense.

Even before one looks at the piece, it's hardly credible!

And notice the scarab  is not the one shown on the certificate.

 

 




 

Fake scarab and fake certificate!

 

 

And another!

 

  From John

3rd August 2006

 

Considering the expense involved in the purchasing of numerous "APPROVED", "PASSED" and "CERTIFIED" rubber stamps, I really do consider this to be the bargain of the week!

http://tinyurl.com/zmwxj

 

 

 

 




 

Same fake certificate, different fake scarab.

Someone has added some official looking stamps to the certiificate and superimposed a small image of a scarab on it.

 

A quiet enquiry is called for.

To tell the seller that this university department does not authenticate scarabs and that the thing is a fake.

 

I won't likely be thanked for it; I never learn!

 

Only twice in all these years has as seller said  thanks, and taken the miserable fake off the listings.

August 2013.


And another.

 




......and yet another.

 




October 2015.

And yet another....

 





The seller helpfully provides information:

 

The inscribed name on the bottom of the Scarab reads, Men-Ka-Ra, or Menkaura.

 

No , it doesn't actually! Though the drawing of the scarab on the certificate does.

See below.

 

This Scarab is a Royal Scarab, meaning it is not made from the common Faience, that was crafted in Egypt.

This is made from Enstatite. A Rare mineral found in the south of Africa. Its rarity meant, that only the Royal family could afford this type of gem stone.

 

It is not a gemstone and is found commonly all over the world.

 

It was only brought into Egypt on the rare occasion that Traders who had the stone, had made it all the way back to Egypt (the very top of africa) without selling them all. Scarabs were commonly made with the name of the current ruling Pharaoh inscribed on the bottom.

This Scarab has been tested for its mineral composition by the University of Nevada, Geo Science Department. It includes the mineral test results, as well as a Certificate of Authenticity, and Certificate of Appraisal.
This Piece is 15 Carats of Enstatite. Valued at roughly $1100.00 per carat. For a total appraised value of $16,500.

This is the value of the stone alone, not including its historical value.

 

Whew!

This is a rare piece of history that was carried by the royalty of Egypt, thousands of years ago. This kind of scarab is not the average scarab found here on ebay. Scarabs were rare to be made in the early kingdom. Finding one from that time period is VERY, VERY rare. As they had just begun to be crafted.


This is a tourist souvenir  worth at best  $5.

 

Interestingly the drawing of a scarab on the certificate is for a scarab bearing this kings's name. It was however made very much later.

 



Different from the ones usually sold with this certificate.

 



These motifs are quite popular on cheap tourist souvenirs.

 $5 not $1000 !

 



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25th May '10

Another fake with a certificate. Being offered on eBay and I'm sure that the seller believes it to be genuine.

 

This time the certificate comes from a real dealer: someone who was in Cairo until the 1970s.

 

All the same, the information on the paper is totally nonsense and the scarab is a fake.

 

Listing and certificate refer to :

 

ANTIQUE EGYPTIAN SCARAB Beetle bead artifact with PROVENANCE. 12th DYNASTY.

 

 

 




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What's written is nonsense.  Seems that the faker was trying to copy a recumbent sphinx and the hieroglyhs for Mery Imun Re = Beloved of Amun.

That's assuming that the odd scribble in front of the sphinx is meant to be the writing for Meri though stood somewhat on its head. The piece of  paper suggests it is an obelisk which I suppose it could be albeit also poorly formed.

The sphinx is a motif found rather later than the stated 12th dynasty.

 




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You see that the sphinx faces to the right. That's ok. But the writing for Imun is the wrong way around; the reed sign is facing the wrong way in respect of the main figure.

 

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Conventionally such figures as sphinxes do face to the right like that but see how the convention is for the direction of the hieroglyphs.

 




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This by far the convention followed with scarabs and inded in all hieroglyph inscriptions.

 






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However, that  said.....I have found one  single example of the converse though it is a mistake. The reed sign in the Imun is the wrong way round though interestingly the other reed sign is  correct.

But I still believe thae piece is highly likely to be modern, and most certainly not 12th dynasty.

The head is most peculiar and the cutting itself is odd.

 

 

Another fake scarab with a badly made fake certificate.

 




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More on fake scarabs>>>page 4