Anglian Swords Fraud on eBay

Previously, I have stated my views of Harvey Withers of Anglian Swords and raised the prospect Harvey is a con man, selling repros as authentic.

Now I know him to be a fraudster.

In November 2008, Harvey Withers listed a sword on eBay (item number 300274305044) with the description "Superb Orig. French Napoleonic Heavy Cuirassier's Sword", when it was not. First, the inspection marks dated the sword from May 1815 to September 1816; Waterloo was mid-June 1815, so the sword (if genuine) was more likely to be post-Napoleonic than Napoleonic. Second, the scabbard was clearly a mark 3, dating it to 1816. Of course I let Harvey Withers of Anglian Swords know about this, offering to substantiate what I said if required by him, but he declined to reply or change his listing to reflect this.

But it gets worse; Harvey's sword was not just be falsely described, it was a repro! The grip looked very reproduction and the inspection marks to the blade looked forged, the wrong font, bad quality; the later having been partially "wiped" (erased) in an apparent atempt to make them look more authentic. What is more the stamps to the hilt were also of the wrong format and font, plus the name "VERSAILLE" was stamped on the wrong part of the hilt. Finally, the junction of the hilt's bars to the pommel was wrong; his sword had a known repro's junction "style". When I asked Harvey Wither of Anglian Swords about the spine of the blade and any signatures which would help authenticate it or not, he did not reply! When I submitted the information to him again with the offer to substantiate what I said as fact, then asked him to correct his auction, he declined.

Harvey / Anglian Swords then went about it again, with yet another French Sword (item number 300274535505). I happened to be conversing with Michel Petard, the famous French sword reference book author at the time and he pointed out Harvey's latest French sword had undeclared damage and a different blade than it should have. Of course I let Harvey / Anglian Swords know and copied Michel Petard's text about this to him, but what did Harvey Withers do? Why, of course, despite the fact the world's leading expert on French swords has made a statement on his eBay sword, Harvey did absolutely nothing.

I have no doubt in my mind that Harvey Withers / Anglian Swords deliberately sells reproduction swords as genuine / authentic swords; that Harvey is a fraudster.

I have kept a copy of his auction and my emails to him, which I can not show here because of eBay's copyright, but am happy to provide if required.