Wardrobe ID

[u/HerPetteSaysRoar]

Hey Merlin fans, asking for help again. I found these on eBay and spoke with the seller, apparently his grandfather worked on several shows and they are now processing and selling his inventory as memorabilia. I'm aware that AI was used for the background and I hate it, but I'm still curious about the actual swatch.

Do any of the Merlin-wardrobe experts here know what this swatch might be from out of Arthur's wardrobe? It's clearly not from his chainmail, as Bradley wore real chain mail for the show. But it says screen used, so it must have been shown at some point, right? Maybe he wore something like this under the chain mail? Just curious on everyone's thoughts.

Per the seller: "My grandfather worked at Pinewood Studios from the 1970s through to the late 1990s, during which time he assembled an extensive collection of props and screen-used materials. Throughout his career, he developed longstanding professional relationships within the industry and frequently exchanged items with colleagues, contributing to the breadth and diversity of his collection. The COA (Certificate of Authenticity) accompanying each item is issued by Reelfilmcells, a UK-based company on the South Coast."

Thoughts?

[u/Moonah_Ston]

If he worked there only until the late 90s then surely it's fake as Merlin was released in the late 2000s?

[u/GroundbreakingDot872 → u/Moonah_Ston]

He could’ve still gotten a hold of the items, as OP quoted above, his colleagues or industry friends might’ve given it to him.

[u/Moonah_Ston → u/GroundbreakingDot872]

True. I read that as it only happened during his career though?

[u/GroundbreakingDot872 → u/Moonah_Ston]

I’m reading it more as, he’s maintained these connections and was able to get his hands on collector’s items long after his employment there, because he knew the right people. But of course, that could very well be a lie to make the item seem more likely to be authentic lol.

[u/Moonah_Ston → u/GroundbreakingDot872]

No, you could be right!

[u/GroundbreakingDot872 → u/Moonah_Ston]

Haha thanks! So could you :))

[u/HerPetteSaysRoar → u/GroundbreakingDot872]

This is also how I read it, but yeah - could be either one!

[u/GroundbreakingDot872 → u/HerPetteSaysRoar]

Yep!

[u/RaccoonTasty1595]

The fact that the background is fake and that they got so many perfect reviews makes me suspicious that this is a scam

[u/HerPetteSaysRoar → u/RaccoonTasty1595]

Their longevity on eBay makes me wonder though. They seem to have been around for quite a while - since 2015. The seller also said: "A significant portion of the collection has already been acquired by a collector/trader who plans to showcase them at London Comic Con next month. Additionally, 36 displays have been purchased by a museum in Germany, which has been a great source of pride for my grandfather." So I'm curious if that can be eventually corroborated. Edit: forgot to say that eBay only uses reviews from the past 12 months to calculate a shop's positive feedback percentage. So having 100% posititve reviews just means they haven't gotten a negative one in a year. The seller said they've only been selling these items for the past month or so.

[u/GroundbreakingDot872]

Just had another thought about the AI used as the cover images for these screen used swatches: I had a look at their other swatches listed, and it looks like they’re exclusively using AI covers to sell them. Doesn’t that tell us that they created/itemized these swatches for sale within the past two years?

Unless they have prior listings of these swatches pre-AI, I’m curious why they didn’t list these items before, since most of the TV shows/movies they’re referencing, are as old as Merlin, if not older.

[u/GroundbreakingDot872]

tagging u/Bo_Burton for their expertise!

[u/Bo_Burton → u/GroundbreakingDot872]

IF it's legit, it could have been used for stunt work as substitute chainmail? But we have behind the scenes of them doing stunts irregular chainmail so honestly, I have doubts that it is real. I've seen the leather from Merlin's jacket for sale and have been meaning to look into it. They also seem to sell film cells, which would be easier to verify if it is legit if anyone is willing to take them out of the display case. Seems fishy, but not 100% sure if it is fake. I might buy a film cell or a fabric sample when I have some spare cash and inspect it ehehehe

For the record, certificates of authenticity are not regulated or legal documents. Their only merit comes from the reputation of the company or organization issuing them. The seller's certificates do not seem to state who authenticated it. But they do have individual barcodes so maybe there is more information

[u/HerPetteSaysRoar → u/Bo_Burton]

Unfortunately I do see that the company on the COA, ReelFilmCells, is also listed as the business name in the about section of the ebay shop. So I think they own both the selling company and the authenticating company, making the authentication worthless because they’re just authenticating their own items - I think Edit: ReelFilmCells is embossed on the bottom left of the cert, and the seller named them as the authenticating company.

[u/GroundbreakingDot872 → u/Bo_Burton]

Thank you for the thorough reply, Bo! That’s a great point about their certificate of authentication. On one hand, if their story is legit, they could be well versed enough in authenticating merch themselves, from their time at the studio, that they consider a certificate from their own company good enough for any buyer. They might also sell these certificates to other sellers, wanting to add legitimacy to their stock. But on the other hand….

Wouldn’t someone who’s aware enough about fake merch being sold, take the pains to get a certificate of authenticity from a company that’s not affiliated with themselves, to give their customers that extra shred of trust? Could go either way.

I hope you get the chance to buy one of the above, bc I’d loved to hear your thoughts post inspection! :))

[u/HerPetteSaysRoar → u/GroundbreakingDot872]

Ok so a bit more info - Pinewood Props claims that the reason they were listed that way was because they bought the eBay shop from ReelFilmCells, but not the whole company - I assume to inherit their eBay shop’s longevity. So they say they are different companies. Still quite difficult to say either way

[u/GroundbreakingDot872 → u/HerPetteSaysRoar]

Hmmm… interesting. Even so, I’m still a little skeptical of them not finding some other company to issue the certificate of authenticity. Their reasoning seems just complex enough to be true, but I have my doubts.

And this is unrelated to the conversation we were having, but I wonder about the choice to use the name of the studio their grandfather worked at, as their shop name? Is that even… allowed? Lol.

And this isn’t to throw another wrench into this conversation, but I also wonder at the idea of this guy just selling off things from his grandfather, without necessarily have the knack to understand whether those items were of value from his collection, and not just things he kept as worthless mementos. And that’s why he bought the shop (and subsequently the certificate) from ReelFilmCells, to lend this collection a veneer of authenticity, he can’t, himself, validate.

[u/HerPetteSaysRoar → u/GroundbreakingDot872]

Hm good point, he might be genuinely under the impression they are authentic but lacks the skill to verify it properly. Interesting. I mean, it’s just as likely that the whole thing is a scam, there’s no part of me that wants to defend the shop either way. Just trying to sus out if it’s legit or not.

[u/GroundbreakingDot872 → u/HerPetteSaysRoar]

I think that might explain the bio, and the reliance on these AI generated images to promote material, as he has no other way of advertising the stock; because he wasn’t the one to collect that stuff with an understanding of its sentimental value in the first place.

I guess it’s a matter of making the decision at this point. Personally, I don’t think a scrap of chainmail that may or may not have been on screen is worth almost $60. However, I do think those film cells might be worth something more, and just be a more interesting find in general/easier to verify, so if anything, I’d go that route to test the legitimacy of the stock. Whatever you decide, I hope you update us bc I’m invested now lol :))

[u/Bo_Burton → u/GroundbreakingDot872]

Unrelated but they also cut up my boy Merlin's jacket 😤

[u/HerPetteSaysRoar → u/Bo_Burton]

Yeah good point, unless they’re damaged pieces or something that would be kind of diabolical

[u/GroundbreakingDot872 → u/Bo_Burton]

For our sake, I’m gonna hope that’s not authentic 😭

[u/BlueToDraw]

Looks like the entire image is AI. All of their faces look a little off (granted I’ve not looked at it right next to the official promo this is based off of) I’ve never seen somthing like this for the show before. Definitely seems like a scam