lets play real or fake?

[MoJo]

Time to play another round of Real or Fake?

not that long ago I came across a PSD4 that, in my opinion, is fake. I politely let the person know my opinion because I think that is the right thing to do and would like someone to tell me if the tables were turned. The person is generous and a nice guy and only had great intentions. BUT I have been wrong plenty times before and the person who I got it from is not completely convinced they are fake, so I am posting a pic below to get other peoples constructive opinion. Without any further ado, what do you all think about the one on the left, real or fake? The one on the right is from my stash that I included for comparison.

 

[thejavaman]

The one on the left is fake. The lettering/spacing is off & it doesn't look embossed....not to mention the color of the wrapper looks weird. Pretty obvious to me really.

 

[pbibby]

Obvious to me as well. FAKE.

 

[SmokinNukie]

IMHO you win MoJo.

 

[rdomfoto]

Based entirely off of the labels AND assuming that the one on the right is genuine, I'd believe the one on the left fake. Why? The one on the left:

1. uses a sans-serif typeface for the "Serie D"
2. uses a different typeface for the "Partagas" that has different kerning and character spacing
3. use a different printing process as the ink for "Partagas" has smudged
4. the gold lines are thicker
5. the gold lines have greater leading between them
6. (and this is a bit of a wild guess) there has been less care in handling of the band


The bands are the only branding that a company has on a cigar and companies that care about their brand won't be so careless in its production. It's very similar to companies in other industries protecting their brand.

However, please remember that, while my knowledge and experience of cigars is still in its early stage, my knowledge of CCs is basically non-existent. I am basing it all off of visual differences in the band.

 

[rdomfoto]

The one on the left is fake. The lettering/spacing is off & it doesn't look embossed....not to mention the color of the wrapper looks weird. Pretty obvious to me really.

Also, notice that the specular highlights are different on each band. One is using a glossier paper than the other.

 

[W.B.]

Looks fake to me, label doesn't seem right.

 

[BigFoot]

One on the left spells fake a hundred times. This is a good comparison and a prime example. Hope lessons will be learned. It happens to ALL of us At certain time in this game. I for certain just acquired a fake bolivar and let the person know. They were gracious and thanked me.

 

[Guarantee]

Bands are definitely different but I am not an expert by any means.

 

[Hoshneer]

I am gonna lean towards fake but I would have not have noticed it myself unless you had them next to each other like you do.

 

[rdomfoto]

I am gonna lean towards fake but I would have not have noticed it myself unless you had them next to each other like you do.

Exactly. PLUS, I needed them enlarged in the picture like they are. Once I hit my mid-40s, my eyesight got worse and without my glasses and optimal lighting, I likely wouldn't have spotted the differences even if I was looking at them side-by-side in real life.

 

[dharbolt]

Fake. the lettering is all wrong

 

[Reckless]

Cut them both open and compare :rolling:

 

[mdwest]

cigars are not the first things I think of when I hear the words "real or fake".... I had a totally different expectation when I entered this thread... sigh....


:grin:

 

[brandoncpm]

cigars are not the first things I think of when I hear the words "real or fake".... I had a totally different expectation when I entered this thread... sigh....


:grin:

I'm hoping Dave's real or fake thread is coming soon then.

 

[Clint]

Fake.....Or, phake, LOL!

 

[rdomfoto]

cigars are not the first things I think of when I hear the words "real or fake".... I had a totally different expectation when I entered this thread... sigh....


:grin:

I'm hoping Dave's real or fake thread is coming soon then.

But I fear Hoshneer's version of "Real or Fake"

 

[AlohaStyle]

Before seeing what cigar you thought was fake, I immediately thought the one on the left. I've smoked and own my fair share of PSD4's and the font and band is just off on the left one. I rarely get too worked up over bands as printing errors can happen, but font is never a mistake from what I have seen. The PSD4 band has tended to have the most printing errors out of Cuba, but that's usually with the period(s) location, and the bands have changed over the decade.

 

[Senor Perfecto]

IF the one on the left is not aged, and the right is presumed genuine (which I believe it is), the left is a phony. As others stated, the band is a giveaway. It's not like the factory has different types of bands lying around for the same cigar and they just grab whatever.

If the one on the left is aged (and was presented to the owner as such, or he's just sat on it for a while), maybe a different story. Who knows what exact band the factory may have used back then? For an apples-to-apples comparison you'd have to get a bona-fide stick that was made at the same time as the suspicious one and compare the bands.

You can always smoke it and find out!

(p.s. Mojo -- nice plume! Looks delish!)

 

[skullnbones]

Let me preface this by saying that I've only had two Serie D and the were both fake, one I smoked half way, the other was just pitched after dissecting the unsmoked half of the first. The usual horror story: short filler, floor sweeping, ect...

If someone had handed that to me I would have been suspect based on the lettering on the band and construction of the cigar, looks pretty lumpy to me. But seeing it next to the one one the right I'd say it's definitely a fake.

The two that I had seemed to have genuine bands on them, but they were loose on the cigar. Like someone had slipped a legit band on a cigar that was one rg smaller.