M-1910, Model 1910 US T-Handle Shovel Cover, WW2, Chinese Copy Aged For Display, M1910

I thought I'd  do a quick posting to show everyone what can be done with a cheap, Chinese copy, of a US M-1910 Shovel Cover.

This posting serves both as an informative post, and as a warning for those of you shopping around out there on eBay.  There are many items that posted on eBay for sale, that are obvious fakes, and then there are items that appear to be 100% authentic, but are actually well made replicas that have been "aged".  
In my workshop, I have been known to "age" and "weather" a reproduction item so that it will display well with an original piece.  A good example of this would be a missing chinstrap on a helmet, or a missing scabbard on a rare bayonet.  You get the idea.  I always fully disclose the repair or display replica, and make a notation on the item's history file.  This is how museum quality repairs are often made.

I often will pick up a "replica" item to fill in as a "place holder" until I can find an original piece to take its place.   The cover we're looking at today is exactly that, a cheap copy, aged to display well, until I can find an affordable original.  In this case, the cost for an original Model 1910 shovel cover, in good condition, far exceeds the price of a shovel.  I try my best to NOT get caught in bidding wars, and instead keep my eyes open for the lone, good deal.  Sometimes that tactic takes time, and when it does, it is time to create a good "place holder" for display.  This is what I like to call a "Museum Replica".

I picked this cover up on eBay, and purchased it directly from a seller in China.  The cover was cheap, and definitely would not pass as an original, to any knowledgeable collector, but would serve just fine as my "place holder".

The fabric was very lightweight, the metal fittings were close, but not exactly correct (and not made out of original type metals).  The printing was superficially applied, and looked more like an iron-on print than an original ink stamp.  On top of all that, it looked new.  Basically, it started out looking like a Chinese made copy!

After about an hour's worth of casual work, and an afternoon of drying time, I had an "authentic replica"!  The finished cover looks good enough on display, to pass as an original, until I find the right cover, at the right price, to replace it.

I won't give away all my "tricks" at aging items, but basically I roughed this up, accelerated the wear, washed it in greasy dirt, gave it a generous rust treatment, and then did some work on the metal fittings.  After an afternoon of drying in the sun, it was done.  It looks good enough, and will display well, exactly what I was after.

So, if you are buying on eBay, please do your homework, and really get to know what the specific details are for the items you are hunting for.  There are plenty of sellers who are peddling "aged replicas" as absolute originals........... take for example, German Fallschirmjäger helmets from WW2.  It is safe to say that there are more "originals" that are for sale, and have been sold, on eBay, than ever survived the war....... if you do the math, then you will realize just how many "originals" must be copies.  Just my educated opinion and observation....... (Just about anything "German" from WW1 and WW2, has been faked, and is often faked, so do your homework!)

UPDATE 6-25-20:  I finally added an original, WW2 dated, M1910 shovel cover to the collection.   You can read about the original cover, and see a side-by-side comparison to this reproduction at my blog posting here:
https://sharky-fourbees.blogspot.com/2020/06/us-model-1910-shovel-cover-m1910.html

So here is my new "place holder", my "Museum Replica",  that should fill in nicely until I can find an original Model 1910 T-Handle Shovel Cover!