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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;chrisild, post: 1962996, member: 39&quot;]Stopped watching the story after they showed that Viagra commercial the second time within just a few minutes. <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie1" alt=":)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /> But while Wolfgang (and Helene) Beltracchi may be unknown in the US, pretty much everybody has heard about them here. This year alone they published two books, one about their story as counterfeiters or rather creators of works &quot;in the style of&quot; (<i>Selbstporträt</i>), and one with the letters they wrote each other while they were in prison (<i>Einschluss mit Engeln</i>). There is also a new movie (<i>Die Kunst der Fälschung</i>) about the two.</p><p><br /></p><p>Over here the reactions have been mixed. On one hand they are criminals as they did a lot to make their creations look like unknown works of famous artists, and he even signed those works using those other (famous) people&#039;s names. On the other hand their story is fascinating, partly because this was not a case of mafia-style organized crime, partly because his chuzpe can sure be charming. And more importantly, they could only be so successful because of the somewhat crazy art &quot;market&quot; where some are willing to pay gazillions ...</p><p><br /></p><p>How much of this applies to coins? Well, not that much, I think, and maybe this should not even be a W&amp;A topic. With very few (mostly early) exceptions, the Beltracchis did not copy but, as I mentioned, created new works that match what famous artists created before. Single works with signatures. Coins are mass products, and while there sure are lots of dangerous counterfeits around, the criteria usually are different ones.</p><p><br /></p><p>Christian[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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