In recent weeks several of the suspect vases have appeared on eBay and at general fairs.
They purport to be small 8in (20cm) high examples of the unusual Green Meadow colourway that typically sells for around £300.
Other colour variations, different from those used by Geoffrey Baxter at Whitefriars in the late 1960s, are also thought to be circulating and have made substantial sums given their apparent rarity.
At source the vases were listed on eBay as copies and were sold by the seller/maker at a large discount to original Baxter vases. However, it has not taken long for them to fall into the hands of unscrupulous or unknowing dealers who are selling them as the real thing.
Willie Clegg of Whitefriars specialists The Country Seat in Huntercombe, Henley-on-Thames told ATG the fakes had only been around for a few weeks and still make up only a very small percentage of the Green Meadow Drunken Bricklayer vases on the market. There was, he said, small differences in the surface pattern to the central brick and a marked difference in colour that distinguish the new from the old. "Baxter in particular was a stickler for colour. Whitefriars colours are generally very consistent," he said.
As always, if in doubt consult a specialist.
