Warning:

There is a set of "Paul Fox Cup Cups Set Original Auhentic Danny Dew" on Ebay (#6113518538)

There was something about these cups that looked funny to me, perhaps it was the rim. Anyway, I asked the seller whether they were hallmarked.

The reply was "Well, yes, each of these cups is "stamped" with the Paul Fox initials in
the inside on the bottom."

These would be the Jeff Busby cups, not Danny Dew cups. I asked Barry Schorr about this, because he has sold many sets of these cups. He says Danny did not hallmark his cups.

I have informed the seller, but there has been no change in the auction.

If you are a bidder on this auction, you might want to reconsider your bid. E-mail the seller if you wish to check.

The seller has withdrawn the item, due to an error in the listing.

Bill, you astound me. You are inspirationally active in just about every subject I have read here at the Café. Your wisdom and delivery of this knowledge has me believing you are infact, a very interesting character. What I would do to sit down with someone like you and listen and learn what comes out of that mind of yours. I see now you are also the magic internet police as well. From your second post, I would say a very good one at that. Keep up the great work, and thanks for the heads up.

I would enjoy sitting down with you and chatting, as well.

Funny about that "internet police" comment. About 2 years ago, there were some banjo players who were really getting very adamant about the way certain instruments were being described on eBay, so much so, that they were as belligerent with people as a certain fellow from Oregon.

It all came to a head when a fellow from the Dallas area was making some special banjo parts under license from a certain lumber supplier. I went in and did some detective work and calmed some people down. I made the remark, "What we need are some banjo police."

And someone else replied "Looks like you have already got the job."

So, I got the domain name "www.banjopolice.org." The end result was that the bullies started behaving themselves and people got a little nicer -- mostly.

I think it was because I knew how to word something without being accusatory.

Sadly, this is a skill that is truly lacking in most folks, and that becomes apparent on sites like this one...

That would be a good band name, bill (the banjo police). A friend of mine plays in a band called "the Banjo Mechanics" (they even built a bass banjo out of an old snare drum). I may end up asking your advice someday on purchasing a banjo, I've been thinking about getting one.

And thanks for being vigilant on ebay! You really have to watch yourself when you're purchasing stuff from there.

I had occasion to question that same seller a few weeks ago. The seller posted a "Rings 'n' Things Don Alan Chop Cup". I own a vintage RnT Don Alan Chop Cup, and it was evident to me that the seller's photo was of a Morrissey's.

I pointed the seller to URLs showing photos of a current model RnTII Don Alan Chop Cup and of my old one. I suggested the cup on the auction might be a Morrissey's, and pointed the seller to their current on-line catalog page showing that cup.

The seller thanked me for the information, reconstructed the ad, and lowered the opening bid price significantly. They claimed they believed it to be the RnT Chop Cup because they had read an article that mentioned the red drawstring bag.

The newly posted price was reasonable, and I was in the market to replace my old banged up Morrissey cup anyway, so as the auction ended I placed a bid. There were no other bidders and I won the auction.

When the cup arrived it was accompanied by an instruction sheet, yes Morrissey's, and of course it clearly indicated the manufacturer of the cup.

I would be hesitant to accept any of that seller's auctions as being completely credible. It's hard to tell if the seller has been mislead or deceived by others when they acquired these items, if they are simply negligent in their research when determining the maker of these items, or if there is an intentional effort to dupe the buyers.

As always, when considering the purchase of vintage or collectible magician's apparatus it is a good idea to do a little research. Look very closely at the photos, ask the seller any pertinent questions, and even ask other experts before making a bid.

Greg