To many, forgery and fraud is something associated with fine art and antiquities, or fiscal instruments, but this paper looks at somewhere it flourishes and is ever-expanding, unchecked by any authorities, the world of vitreous enamel signs. Enamel signs have been collected since the 1960s, when their currency diminished and their use had very visibly contracted, particularly in advertising. As ‘collectors’ items’ their popularity has risen, fallen and, at present, is at a high again. Much of the original collector interest in them was based on a principle of ‘they don’t make them like that any more’. How wrong that was.

This paper plots the rise of the fraudulent enamel. From reproduction to forgery. It looks at the cultural context enamel signs occupy, how it encouraged the rise of the fraud, the technologies employed, and the implications of thousands of forgeries entering the market. Historically interesting? Certainly. Amusing? Probably. Ethically acceptable…?