Thank Stuart and Metallwarenfabrik. I would have acknowledged your replies sooner, but my email notification seems to be a little awry! I certainly agree with the sentiments expressed. I must say that the maker markings seem to have been exceptionally good on the item, and it must have been a bit of a fiddle to make. I think that it went for around £250, but who wants to pay this sort of money for a fake! I was fortunate not to purchase this thanks to the views expressed on this forum, but was myself caught out the other day when I purchased what I thought was a genuine Air Crew Europe Star at an antiques fair. These are notorious for fakery, and I thought that I had a thorough knowledge of the different types of fakes, having handled a few genuine ones and several different types of fake, which are commonly for sale in antique fairs advertised as genuine items. When I got my purchase home and compared it with a genuine one, I saw that this was in fact a new type of fake to me, not having the flaws commonly found in other fakes, but differing from a genuine one in a couple of minor ways, which nevertheless I should have spotted, had I not been so excited at finding what I thought was a genuine item for change. I wasn't cheap either, so I think keeping ahead of the faker requires constant vigilance. Thanks, Peter.