It's often said that “the bigger the market, the more mixed the quality,” and advancements in techniques have brought about numerous deceptive practices that are hard to guard against.

Today, I want to discuss some common tricks you might encounter on your journey with Teapots. My hope is that this will help fellow enthusiasts avoid overpaying and falling into these traps as much as possible.

1. New Teapots Made to Look Old, Passed Off as Authentic

Whenever a fellow enthusiast sends me pictures of old teapots, I often lament that they've been deceived.

▲ Impersonating Chen Mingyuan

The market is flooded with fake famous teapots, which can generally be categorized into two types:

First, new teapots with old stamps or old teapots bearing the names of famous artists; second, new teapots polished to look like they have a false patina, or buried in soil and dusted with ashes, or even coated with shoe polish to mimic the appearance of age.

▲ New Teapot Made to Look Old

To identify the former, one needs a good understanding of the artist's work to recognize differences in stamps and styles. The latter, typically aimed at creating an aged appearance, can usually be distinguished by being excessively dirty or overly shiny.

2. Raw Material Fraud, Passing Off Inferior Quality

In recent years, a type of counterfeit teapot has emerged: sprayed or coated teapots.

These are essentially purple clay teapots, but their surfaces are colored through spraying or coating to imitate famous clay types.

▲ Black Gold Sand with Added Manganese

Examples include: Qing clay teapots sprayed red to imitate Da Hongpao clay; or sprayed blue or green to imitate Tianqing clay.

▲ Cross-section

Some unscrupulous sellers add chemical substances to the clay to create bright colors, catering to aesthetic demands. These teapots, made from kaolin or red brick clay mixed with chemicals, are commonly known as “chemical teapots.”

Using such fraudulent raw materials may pose health risks over time.

3. Craftsmanship Fraud, Misleading Buyers

Purple clay teapots are renowned for their unique double-pore structure, which allows them to retain flavors and aromas. Losing this characteristic means it's no longer a true Purple Clay Teapot, no matter how beautiful it may appear.

▲ Hand-pulled Teapot in Production

Unfortunately, many platforms still sell hand-pulled, slip-cast, or machine-made teapots as genuine purple clay teapots. There's nothing inherently wrong with these techniques, but the issue lies with sellers hiding the truth and passing them off as authentic.

4. Certificate Forgery, Swapping One for Another

This phenomenon has led to a crisis of trust in artisans, and it's the hardest to discern. Without verification from the artist themselves, it's nearly impossible to tell the difference with the naked eye.

▲ Gu Jingzhou Certificate (Forgery)

1. Proxy Crafted Teapots: Essentially similar to ghostwriting, these teapots bear the artist's own stamp, certificate, and signature, but were not made by their hands. This doesn't necessarily mean the teapot lacks quality, as the artist wouldn't want to damage their reputation. However, while it increases production, it also contributes to the trust crisis surrounding artisans.

▲ Fake Shi Dabin Signature

2. Replica Stamps: By replicating a master's stamp, certificate, and style, sellers deceive newcomers. Such forgeries can be so convincing that distinguishing between the real and fake becomes almost impossible.

Have you fallen victim to any of these tactics? Feel free to leave a comment below and share your experiences with the community.