As an honest and reputable dealer, I will be forever in debt to all the men and women who are working tirelessly to educate the public and protect budding collectors from eBay scams and flea market crapola. This site is the brainchild of Gary Williams and my pal, Bob Buttafuso.
There are two things you can do to protect yourself from getting fleeced by a fake or a fantasy piece.
1. Only do business with reputable dealers (like me, and the others on my links page) who offer LIFETIME GUARANTEES for authenticity.
2. Join the Civil War Fakes site. And then use it and all the reference books you can get your hands on!