Some Guinness Fakes - there are many more!
January 2024
Between 2008 and 2010 a huge number of fake Carlton Guinness advertising wares appeared on eBay. During this three year period I wrote about and posted warnings about them on this website.
Unwary buyers paid extraordinary amounts of money for some of them. At some time in the future they will reappear so I have retained this page to help you identify these deceitful items. Some continue to be offered for sale.
Their backstamps look convincing because with digital scanning of an original backstamp it is easy and cheap to copy marks. The most obvious tell-tale sign of a Guinness fake is that fakes they are often plastered with Guinness slogans, as you can see many times below.
Carlton Ware World does not accuse sellers of knowingly offering fake items. Sellers too can be duped by those from whom they bought the item/s.
Saturday 5 April 2008
More Guinness Fakes appear on eBay
Described by the seller as "a fantastic opportunity to get this very rare, Carlton Ware vintage Guinness collectable hors d'oeuvres dish."
Bidding ended on 9 April 2008 and the fake item sold for £41.50 including p&p!
Described by the same seller as "a fantastic opportunity to get this very rare, Carlton Ware vintage Guinness collectable set of three hors d'oeuvres dishes. They are in very good condition with no damage anywhere, apart from the lid of the box, which is missing."
Bidding ended on 9 April 2008 and the fake item sold for £36 including p&p!
Described by the same seller as "a fantastic opportunity to get these very rare, Carlton Ware vintage Guinness collectable pair of seals. They are in perfect condition and if you collect Guinness items you won't get better than these."
Bidding ended on 9 April 2008 and the fake item sold for £42.86 including p&p! ❑
Scroll down for more fakes.
Monday 16 June 2008
Guinness - not so good for you!
This fake Carlton Ware cruet, supposedly commissioned by Guinness, has recently surfaced on eBay. The picture on the far right above shows two fake backstamps used, namely the faked Script mark in red and a faked backstamp telling us falsely PRODUCED IN GREAT BRITAIN ARTHUR GUINNESS SON & CO (PARK ROYAL) LTD BY CARLTON WARE LIMITED STOKE ON TRENT.
The fake cruet attracted five bidders and sold for an astonishing £137 including p&p.
This has to originate from the same stable as the fake rectangular dish that we alerted you to at the beginning of April, and shown below. 
Expect to see the same lithographs of the same toucans and associated Guinness slogans on other shapes. As soon as they appear on eBay we will let you know. ❑
Scroll down for more fakes.Double Trouble Bobble.
Fake Carlton Ware Guinness penguin salt & pepper.
The same seller offered a fake Carlton Ware Guinness Penguin salt & pepper. The penguins are wearing scarves and bobble hats and appear to be crudely modelled. They were listed for sale at the same time as fake Bassett's wine gums mug. Both have a faked red Script backstamp shown above. The salt & pepper attracted 3 bids and sold for £28 including p&p. ❑
Scroll down for more fakes.
Wednesday 25 June 2008
"Curiouser and curiouser!" said Alice
This salt, pepper and tray, which was sold on eBay in June 2008, shows Alice with Tweedledee and Tweedledum from Lewis Carole's Through the Looking Glass. The salt and pepper pots advertise Guinness on one side and Callard & Bowser, makers of sweets, on the other. Curious indeed!
The item is listed as being by Carlton Ware but the Copeland Street pottery never made for Callard and Bowser, so the item is a fake on this count, let alone any others.
Tenniel shelved the first print run of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland because he objected to the print quality. We wonder what he would have made of the fakers adaptation of his work?
The sale of these salt and pepper pots attracted 4 bids and they sold for £16 including p&p. ❑
Scroll down for more fakes.Tuesday 29 July 2008
Ebay seller withdraws fakes
After Carlton Ware World informed the seller of the items above that they were Carlton Ware fakes, the unwary vendor withdrew them from sale. Thank you eBayer.
The fake Guinness interlocking dishes, in the form of the Yin Yang symbol, shown in the first two pictures, carry the faked Script backstamp. On one dish this is in black, on the other it is in red.
The fake Coco Cola pot, one of the worst Walking Ware rip offs we have seen, has the fakers characteristic poorly painted shoes. We can be sure that the source of these pots is the same as many other fake advertising wares that we have alerted you to recently. ❑
Scroll down for more fakes.Wednesday 6 August 2008
Time to Dwell
A clock is featured on several Guinness Carlton Ware fakes, as on this plate that was spotted on eBay this week.
It carries a faked Script backstamp printed in red on the brown coloured back (see inset).
We think it is time to review this type of fake, which we believe is being made by the same faker. By looking at some of the range of fakes being made you will quickly be able to identify others that are not shown.
Scroll down for more fakes.Monday 11 August 2008
From the House of Faker
Yes, more from what we believe is from the House of Faker number 1. These three dishes carry a faked Script backstamp, in red.
We recently reviewed the suspected output of faker number 1 and have added these dishes to an increasing bank of images believed to be from this source.
Scroll down for more fakes.Monday 19 August 2008
High price for Toucans stimulates sale of fakes
Last week a set of original Carton Ware Guinness flying toucans sold on eBay for £980. The high price was realised because the set was still in its original cardboard box. The backstamp found on these delightful birds is shown on the right.
We suspected that this sale would stimulate even more Carlton Ware Guinness fakes to appear on the auction site. Within a short time all of the fakes below were placed by one seller alone.
The fakes can be so convincing because they are are made from original moulds, although you can see that the decoration is somewhat inferior.
These Carlton Ware fakes began to appear in the early 1990s, not long after Carlton Ware was liquidated. It was then that the original moulds found there way into the hands of the fakers.
Onglaze lithographic marks such as those found on fakes, were not used until the Woods took over Carlton Ware in 1968, well after the Zoo Series of Guinness Ware was made at Copeland Street. Run your finger, or nail, over the fake mark and you can feel it is slightly above the surface on the these recently made, deceitful items. As the images show, light also catches these marks.
Confusingly, original marks before 1969, although printed underglaze, can sometimes also be raised. This depended on how the glaze over the top of it reacted with the colour with which the mark was printed. If the print was 'heavy' it could rise slightly above the surface of the glaze on firing.
Please note.
Evidence of a raised backstamp, alone, is insufficient to identify a fake. 
You can view pictures of the original Carlton Ware Guinness Zoo series from the Guinness Collectors Club website by clicking here. Note that the text has numerous factual errors.
You will notice that the figure of the toucan shown left is not part the series. It is likely that this was created by the faker, no doubt to add to its "rarity value"
This particular seller does not say that they are originals, or fakes. Caveat emptor - let the buyer beware. ❑
Sunday 28 September 2008
White Rabbit or White Elephant?
This fake Carlton Ware Guinness plate hot off the kiln appeared on eBay in September 2008.
It features the White Rabbit from Lewis Carol's
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, loosely after a drawing by John Tenniel shown left.
The plate carries a faked For Arthur Guinness backstamp as shown. ❑
Scroll down for more fakes.Triple Whamy!
When told, the seller of the cup withdrew it from sale on eBay. ❑
Scroll down for more fakes.Monday 6 October 2008
Another Fake Signed & Sealed!
In April 2008 we alerted you to the fake seal and pup shown on the left.
This is covered with the characteristic Guinness advertising slogans, the sure sign of a deceitful item.
Another fake seal and pup appeared on eBay in October 2008. This time the creatures are lying on a rock.
The typical faked script mark is used, this time printed in black as opposed to the alternative red. It is shown in the inset. ❑
Scroll down for more fakes.Friday 10 October 2008
Money is the root of all evil!
This fake Carlton Ware, fake Guinness money box was never made by Carlton Ware, or for Guinness.
As with so many of these deceitful wares, it is covered with Guinness slogans.
On request, the seller placed an image of the backstamp, but it was so blurred that it is not worth showing. As expected, it is the usual faked Script mark printed in red.
Scroll down for more fakes.Thursday 16 October 2008
Fakes production speeds up
This new fake Carlton Ware, fake Guinness plate was never made by Carlton Ware, or for Guinness. We first spotted it on eBay in October 2008.
As with so many of these deceitful wares, it is covered with Guinness slogans.
The faked backstamp used is shown in the inset. Although it is out of focus, it reads PRODUCED IN GREAT BRITAIN ARTHUR GUINNESS SON & CO (PARK ROYAL) LTD BY CARLTON WARE LIMITED STOKE ON TRENT, a copy of a mark used on original Guinness Ware. ❑
Scroll down for more fakes.Friday 24 October 2008
Avoid the gold label...
The hot milk jug, near left, with fake Guinness slogans and 'label' appeared on eBay in October 2008. The facsimile of a Guinness bottle label was never used by Carlton Ware. ❑
Look out for more of the same. ❑
Scroll down for more fakes.Friday 7 November 2008
A Tell Tale of Two Toucans!
A fake Guinness, fake Carlton Ware wall plaque appears on eBay again.
Here, it is shown next to an original one. It's not too difficult to tell which is which. The fake is on the far left, of course.
The seller tells us that there is "slite makers roughness on paintwork". Indeed!
The toucan did not sell but was relisted. ❑
Scroll down for more fakes.Monday 10 November 2008
New fake 'Reproduction' backstamp!
No such mark was ever used on Carlton Ware. 
The use of this mark has just surfaced on the fake toucan lamp base shown on the right. The seller tells us:
"I understand that Carlton Ware made very few of these stands as reproductions so it makes it rare in its own right." !
It is curious that such a "rare" item is offered with a starting price of 99p and no reserve!
The fake exhibits the usual inferior decoration. ❑
Zoo grows in size as more new fakes appear
Other fakes, loosely based on animals from the zoo series, whose shapes have been created by the fakers, also abound. A good example is the toucan salt and pepper shown on the left. ❑
Scroll down for more fakes.
Saturday 15 November 2008
Another fake Toucan
This fake Carlton Ware toucan surfaced this week. Unusually, it does not have any Guinness slogans but does exhibit the crude decoration usually found on fakes.
Its faked Crown backstamp is shown in the inset - Ltd was never used in conjuction with the Crown backstamp. This particular model has been around for some years.
With typical eBay hype, the seller described it as '"amazing" and "rare" - what can we say? ❑
Scroll down for more fakes.Thursday 20 November 2008
More bottle label fakes.
These 7 inch (18cm) fake Carlton Ware plates have just surfaced on eBay. Both are printed with a gold Guinness bottle label. One says Give him a Guinness , the other
My Goodness, My Guinness. Both use the faked Script mark in red. ❑
Wednesday 3 December 2008
More of the same
Here is a newly discovered Carlton Ware Guinness fake for you, this time in the form of a storage jar. On the far left we show an original, which you can see has a lid.
As usual the faker uses many Guinness slogans, far more than originally. The usual faked Script backstamp is used, this time printed in black. ❑
Scroll down for more fakes.Friday 12 December 2008
Another Gold Label, Another Fake
The gold coloured 'label' on this conical beaker, or mug, is one of the sure signs that this item is fake. Any pottery marked Carlton Ware with this gold Guinness label is fake.
In case you can't make it out from the picture, the handle is metal. The faked Carlton Ware backstamp is printed in red and shown vertically in the inset. ❑
Scroll down for more fakes.Monday 12 January 2009
It's big, but it's still a Fake
This fake "Large Carlton Ware Guinness Pint Glass Ash Tray" was recently offered for sale on eBay. It is new to us and, of course, has all the tell-tale signs of deceitful ware.
It uses the faked red backstamp shown in the inset, which reads:
PRODUCED IN GREAT BRITAIN ARTHUR GUINNESS SON & CO (PARK ROYAL) LTD BY CARLTON WARE LIMITED STOKE ON TRENT ❑
Another vendor is selling the three Guinness fakes below. Described as "unusual", alas they are all too familiar to us here at Carlton Towers, having been around for more than ten years. ❑ 
Scroll down for more fakes.
Thursday 26 February 2009
Perched, Ready to Deceive
Crudely modelled and decorated, this toucan on a metal perch is the latest addition to the spate of fake Guinness, fake Carlton Ware.
This example carries the faked Script backstamp, printed in black under the perch. It has a starting bid of £99! ❑
Scroll down for more fakes.Wednesday 25 March 2009
Double Identity Crisis!
It's not Carlton Ware and it's not a toucan! This crudely modelled pelican, which has a faked Carlton Ware backstamp is decorated as if it was a toucan - poor thing! The fakers art knows no bounds!
Inevitably, it turned up on eBay, though this time the seller admits it is "not an original piece". ❑
Friday 17 April 2009
Three New Fakes spotted
What more can we say other than that the penguin is particularly gross. It sold for £64 plus p&p! All claim to be Carlton Ware. ❑
Scroll down for more fakes.Tuesday 5 May 2009
Four more Fakes for you to avoid
They still come thick and fast. Here are four more fake Guinness, fake Carlton Ware spotted on eBay this week. They all have the characteristic white or black grounds with many Guinness slogans.
Curiously, they are being offered by the same vendor of some of the fakes spotted last month, who is based in Buckingham/Milton Keynes using the name nevetswogsalg. ❑
Scroll down for more fakes.Tuesday 23 June 2009
More fakes!
None of these have been posted to our site before. The square tray or dish and the seals were offered by the same seller nevetswogsalg, (glasgow steven backwards) who has sold Carlton Ware fakes in the past and is based in Milton Keynes. All use a faked script mark.
Since posting this warning nevetswogsalg has offered another three square trays on eBay, two of which use different images in the the centre. The tray is being made in two sizes, 10" and 8" square. ❑
Scroll down for more fakes.Friday 24 July 2009
New Book!
They are being offered by eBay seller nevetswogsalg (Glasgow Steven backwards), who always has several Carlton Ware fakes for sale at any time. ❑
Scroll down for more fakes.Saturday 8 August 2009
More fakes
This white water jug with its fake Guinness backstamp was spotted on eBay this week.
We reported on the similar brown version on the right in May last year. ❑
Wednesday 26 August 2009
Sample this...
They appear to be well-potted. This one, aside from the faked Carlton/Guinness Park Royal mark, has an additional SAMPLE 2 printed to the base. Another says SAMPLE 1, and the third has no such mark.
Certainly, these jugs are not a Carlton Ware shape, nor are the lithographs of Guinness labels that smother them anything to do with Carlton. It is possible that the SAMPLE marks are used to give "added value"! Indeed the "SAMPLE" jugs went for £86 each including p&p, whereas the other was sold for £26 plus £9 p&p.
Curiously, one of the jugs is being sold from Milton Keynes, where a disproportionate number of fakes seem to hail. This time the seller is gails8971. ❑
Half baked...
It is being offered by eBay seller nevetswogsalg (Glasgow Steven backwards) from his continuing supply of Carlton Ware fakes. He too is based in Milton Keynes! ❑
Scroll down for more fakes.Thursday 27 August 2009
New batch of fakes - Guinness labels...
Although we tire of reading about fakes, and yet more fakes, Carlton Ware World believes that it is important to inform our readers of new batches of these deceitful items, so we hope that you will be patient with our reports on them.
It is this time of year that we find new batches are placed on the market, presumably to catch the forthcoming Christmas market. 
EBay seller nevetswogsalg (Glasgow Steven backwards), who seems to have a continuous supply of Carlton Ware fakes, is now offering the fake Carlton Ware coffee pot and tazza shown above. These both use lithographs of Guinness labels, as did the three jugs we spotted last week and featured further down the page. One of these jugs was offered by gails8971.
This week gails8971 is selling the fake Carlton Ware jug shown below. Both sellers are based in Milton Keynes. This time, neither seller shows a picture of backstamps, but tell us they are by Carlton Ware, which they are not. Do they know one another we wonder? ❑
Watch out for more shapes using these Guinness labels and other lithographs - if they are marked Carlton Ware they are fakes.
Scroll down for more fakes.Saturday 5 September 2009
More
Last week we warned you to expect more Carlton Ware Guinness fakes. Our predictions were correct. Here are another three of the latest. As usual, they are being offered by eBay seller nevetswogsalg (Glasgow Steven backwards) from Milton Keynes. ❑
Scroll down for more fakes.
Friday 30 April 2010
Another batch of fakes from nevetswogsalg
EBay seller nevetswogsalg has been busy in the last week and listed more Carlton Ware fakes. He (Glasgow Steven backwards) invariably describes the fake Carlton Ware items he sells as being in very good condition - they would be because they are hot off the kiln!
Signed, sealed and not delivered to a Carlton Ware collector, we hope!
The fake with the orange base is a new departure in that the backgrounds from the stable of nevetswogsalg are usually white.
The non-Carlton Ware seal shapes have been seen by us before but not the fake penguin money box on the left. All, as usual, are smothered in advertising slogans from which much fake Guinness ware suffers. ❑
Here endith the lesson!
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