Animation Cel Authentication 101

[star-phoenix]

Hello Everyone!

Since this question has recently surfaced again on other forums, I think it would be a great idea for everybody to discuss how to spot a possible fake production artwork. Unfortunately, we do not yet have an established company in America that can help us authenticate the post-vintage era (1960's +) animation art produced in US, Japan, and Europe. So, most of us had to unfortunately learn how to based on our own experiences. I think this thread would be great for not only the new collectors, but for the long time collectors as well, and I would most appreciate if everyone could contribute their vast knowledge into this thread.

Basic Topics to Discuss:
1. Color variations between the cel and the cartoon.
2. Line and color fading or "age wear".
3. Production information on the cel (layers, numbers, scene numbers)
4. Line and image smoothness.
5. Episode/Film identification. Does it match up?
6. Material used to produce the cel - Type of paint, type of black ink, type of plastic used, registration holes, celuloid size, etc.
7. How many cel "layers" used in a particular shot or action.
8. Any factors that can contribute to the appearance of a cel and what to consider as being a determining factor. This deals with lighting effects, analog vs. digital effects, digital re-mastering and studio edits, etc.
9. Providence. Do you know who owned the cels before and how to find out?

I have been collecting cels for almost 13 years. I am in NO way claiming to be an expert of any kind in this field. But, I have bought many items and came across (unfortunately) a few fakes and will be sharing my experiences on how I figured out they were fakes.
In fact, just the other day, I came across an early 1930's black and white RE-production cel of Mickey Mouse that was on an original production black and white background. The owner was very honest about the cel, but the very disturbing question remains. What if someone who buys this cel/background would split the cel from the background and actually sell the cel as an original black and white Mickey cel? I have seen authentic black and white Mickeys go for $20,000 - $200,000 a piece!!

[Starfighter]

Hello Everyone,

I have been collecting anime for almost 10 years. I'm not an expert on cels but with the cels I do own, i have seen that with japanese cels (Sailor moon) They tend to add more to the cel then was actually on the screen . I have come across cels that have had correction layers because they were incorrectly colored by the studio and instead of remaking the cel they decided to add a correction layer. I'm not to sure with american anime cels if they did the same thing I own a few american anime cels and have never seen a correction layer on any of the american cels I collect. Not saying that they never use correction layers. In my experience the way to tell if a cel is a repo or fake is to check the lines on the cel usually cels have discoloration. I try not to buy cels without there sketch , I feel that someone who is creating a fake cel is not going to go through the trouble of making a sketch for it .


This is just the little bit of info I have gathered in my 10 years collecting .

[JWR]

In my case what I have used is a list I have compiled of sellers on YJ who have a reputation for only dealing with real production artwork. I also have built a good relationship with dealers here in the USA such as Curt (Asylum), Rick (Anime Link) Dave (Nechibei) who travel to Japan and have had face to face dealings with a lot of these dealers and can vouch for them.

[sensei]

I haven't had much experience with forgeries, thank heavens, and as most of what I've collected is relatively modest in market value it's not a critical issue for me. I understand that with classic American animation and the most collectable Japanese titles there are an increasing number of dishonest sources, and so I'll be following this thread with care.

The only questionable item that I had a brush with was a pan cel of Yukito in his "White Rabbit" form from the "Sakura in Wonderland" episode. It's a famous moment and the cel, if genuine, would have been a strong addition to my collection. But the seller, in preparing it for shipping, observed a problem and honestly reported it to me. The sequence number in the upper right corner had been written on the outside of the cel bag, and that part of the cel had been carefully snipped off.

I did some quick checking with the scan and found the image to be identical with one that appeared in one of the TV animation art books -- but interestingly not quite identical with any of the frames that I got to freeze when reviewing that scene. Without having the cel in hand, I can't say for sure, but it's more likely to have been a fancel made from the artbook image than a genuine production cel.

I'd say the best protection is to get used to the look, feel, and especially the smell of genuine cels, particularly cheap ones, as the expensive ones will be fabricated in the same way. (Maybe with the exception of hanken cels...) Normal studio wear is not easy to duplicate, and no fan cel I've seen remotely resembles a production cel.

I was reminded of this when I got my Haibane Renmei rilezu. Neither it nor the "douga" that came with it looked in any way like a genuine piece of production art. Well, what of it? it didn't claim to be production art. But I'd guess that most forgeries would present in the same way: tricky for a first-time buyer but not difficult to detect by anyone who's seen multiple examples of the real thing.

[Sui Kune]

I actually came across something interesting, regarding finding the cel in the show to authenticate it. In Sailormoon at least, it looks like some cels are cut from a sequence, probably to cut down on time. Both Luna-Art and I have a cel like this, but there is no doubt as to their authenticity. This is the cel I own in question. It's B2 in the sequence, so it would make sense for it to be shaved off the sequence to save time.

This might almost be useless information, but if all other signs point to real in a cel, and it's close to the beginning of a sequence (or possibly end), yet it seems like the show cuts off where the frame would be, it could still be a real cel but cut from the show.

[sensei]

This might almost be useless information, but if all other signs point to real in a cel, and it's close to the beginning of a sequence (or possibly end), yet it seems like the show cuts off where the frame would be, it could still be a real cel but cut from the show.

This is very common with Tenshi ni Narumon, which often "animated long and cut short." In several cases, cuts were interrupted in the middle with a short sequence of another character. I have two cels that must have been designed for the part in the middle that was later left on the cutting room floor.

In another interesting case, I have a wonderfully dramatic genga from Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne, a CGI series. But if you screen the scene, you won't find that image because Toei decided to start the cut a fraction of a second later, even though it spoiled the image.

Details (and a screencap): http://sensei.rubberslug.com/gallery/in ... mID=153706

Also worth noting that there are many "test cels" from both Cardcaptor Sakura and Tenshi ni Narumon that do not correspond with the screen caps in color, trace lines, shadows, etc. These are genuine production items, just rejected by the studio and later replaced by new cels that went under the camera. So finding a screencap that exactly matches the cel under question may not be in itself a test for authenticity (though of course an authentic but rejected or unused cel may be for that reason less valuable).

[cutiebunny]

Granted, it may be what I collect, but I've seen more in the way of counterfeit shikishi (signed) items than cels. It's a lot less effort to buy a blank board, scribble something on it with a sharpie and post it as authentic on YJ than it is for someone to buy some acetate, punch good look registration holes, draw something and paint it.

All I can speak about is my experience with Toei Sailor Moon cels and Madhouse Cardcaptor Sakura cels as they're the bulk of my collection. I have a few cels from other anime, but by no means do I think I'm qualified to speak about the technics of those specific studios. I also don't consider myself to be an expert in that which I collect as well.

Toei used a lower quality ink than most studios, which means that it's more prone to deterioration than cels from other studios. For authenticity purposes, that deterioration is a good thing because it's something to look for when looking to purchase Sailor Moon cels.

In some cases, with Toei, cels were packaged for resale and come with either a plastic back with a Puss n' Boots sticker or a blue cardboard frame. The absence of either does not prove or disprove its authenticity.

In Sailor moon's case, there were many unused cels. There were times when an entire sequence was created, only to have the first(or last) cels cut out of the show. Toei did, on several ocassions, create layers for pre-existing cels and changed the colors. They also have re-created sequences showing at a different angle from the version that was used under the camera. These instances, though, are infrequent. Most of the time, the cel will feature more artwork on it than solely the portion that appeared under the camera.

In regards to Cardcaptor Sakura cels, I have yet to see someone try to sell a fan cel as being authentic. I would imagine that designs from hankens, OP/ED & certain scenes would most likely be targetted by those who want to counterfeit, but since quality CCS cels typically sell for less than, say, Inuyasha quality cels, they're less likely to be counterfeited.

When dealing with shikishi, my advice is to look for artwork featuring men. With exception for titles like "Dragonball", typically, items featuring drawn men don't sell for as much money as those featuring women.

[star-phoenix]

Since I have been collecting several of the vintage cels from the 1930's/40's, I have seen some absolutely amazing things, and some horrific counterfeits that passed off for $10,000 items.

So, here are the criteria I use in order to ID and authenticate an original Vintage cel from < 1960's, particularly Disney.

1. Color variations. Line and color fading - Age wear

I know that all vintage Disney cels especially those from the mid-1950's and earlier are made of a material called Nitrate rather than Acetate. With that said, all original, unrestored cels get this yellowish tint to them and gets worse when exposed to warm or humid temperatures.
So, many of the paint colors in a cel, specifically white tend to have a yellowish hue when compared to the original screen cap. A great example of this coloration would be my 1935 Band Concert cel which has all paint in un-restored condition:

http://starphoenix.rubberslug.com/galle ... mID=243800

When compared to the video, his gloves int he cel are yellower. The other thing you can see is there is a "halo" ring around the image. This was a conservation technique used during the 40's and 50's where the conservationist would apply a clear "nail polish" material over the paint in order to prevent the paint from cracking as easily.

The other huge thing to note for vintage cels with nitrate based material (and this includes Warner Bros, Max Fleischer, and Disney cels) is since nitrate is very volatile, they immediately begin "crinkling" to warmer temperatures. In many cases, they crinkle and deteriorate so badly, the cel eventually gets destroyed on its own.
So, for conservationists attempt to salvage the art by trimming the cels and reapplying them to another cel (later on using acetate based cels) in order to prevent further deterioration.

I actually use this phenomenon to determine if a cel REALLY is authentic 1930's-1950's, if it has been trimmed and reapplied to another cel (you could tell this by rubbing your hand over the image or just looking for the trim area if they did not do a great job on it). If a cel is completely fake, it would be made by materials such as acetate cels, which do not have the crinkle or discoloration effect and this is how I KNOW it is a counterfeit.

When I saw the black and white Mickey cel the other day (the one they advertiSed as REPRODUCTION, but could easily be played off as original if someone else decides to be dishonest), it had absolutely no yellowing or wrinkling effect on the cel.

If you look closely at the Band Concert cel, you will be able to see some of the wrinkling of the cel near the bottom of the image and this is how you know it was not reproduced or cut and applied to a acetate based cel.

3. Production information on the cel (layers, numbers, scene numbers)

It is EXTREMELY rare to find an original vintage cel that was not cut and still has its production information (especially the 1930s/40s and earlier). But, this is what I found out yesterday when i was inspecting my Flowers and Trees Cel and my Cookie Carnival cel.
http://starphoenix.rubberslug.com/galle ... esID=42380

Both of these cels are made using layers. The Flowers and Trees cel is 3 layer cel (really 4 in this scan) on a key master background. Animators use a 3 digit number with either a 1 for the first layer and 2 for the 2nd layer, etc. So, for example he bottom layer of this cel would be the tree labeled at 104 while the 2nd layer would be the 2 bats labeled at 201 while the black bird was 304. I have seen this type of numbering system in the earlier works while the post Vintage cels i have seen (ie Rescuers down under and Anime cels) use a letter + number system:
example: A-1 for bottom layer, B-# for 2nd layer, C-3 for the 3rd layer on top.
So, generally speaking, the later Disney cels i have seen and all my Anime cels have this labeling system.

4. Line and image smoothness - Up until 101 Dalmatians (1961), all cels were hand inked completely. It was not until 1961 when they used the first xerox machine. With that said, hand inked cels' black lines tend to deteriorate a bit less than xeroxed lines because they use a different type of ink. The lines on early cels also tend to be slightly more jagged and I have seen some spots where the lines were "gone over" a couple times because the first stroke was not solid enough for the cel.

5. Episode/Film identification. Does it match up?
This can be hard to do for older films since a lot of the editing is done even after they produce the film, and then go back and re-edit it when the films/shows are re-released onto VHS or DVD. Sometimes, they even cut out certain scenes completely. But it is always a good thing to locate the screen cap and use that as a reference. But, even if you can't find it, does not mean you have a fake or counterfeit cel.

6. Any factors that can contribute to the appearance of a cel and what to consider as being a determining factor. This deals with lighting effects, analog vs. digital effects, digital re-mastering and studio edits, etc.

This is a topic of great discussion recently. Studios still go through the editing process after the cel images are snapped and I have seen variations in lighting and color shades when a cel is supposed to be snapped during a lighted scene or a night time scene. Or, for example, in Tinkerbell's case from Peter Pan, they never made the cels for her wings and just used a special lighting effect to make the wings and the lights. If you look at this cel of Tinkerbell, you can see she has wings, which is actually painted onto a separate cel after the production. The actual original production cel is of tinkerbell alone without her wings.

http://starphoenix.rubberslug.com/galle ... mID=267215

So, if you ever buy a Tink cel, keep that in mind.

7. Providence. Do you know who owned the cels before and how to find out?

To me, this is EXTREMELY important especially when you know that counterfeits are common in certain types of art. In particular, I was most concerned about my Eyvind Earle background.
http://starphoenix.rubberslug.com/galle ... mID=324618
About 3-5 years ago, some Earle piece surfaced that were actually really good counterfeits and were sold for $10,000-50,000 on the market. Knowing this, it is very necessary to do a lot of research on where the cel or art came from.
As JWR mentioned, knowing the place you buy it from and knowing where they get their arts, and keeping connections with trusted people are very very good ways to protect yourself.

For places like Ebay, it is always a buyer's beware market unless you know the seller as being a Beta member or what-not and they can provide youw ith details of where they got the piece.

Also, one other advice I recently gave to someone. Do not display your entire art piece on your gallery. Always crop it and hide the registration holes and production information. This is what museums do with paintings by hiding the edges and many of the "flaws" that authenticate the piece beneath the frames. If a question ever comes up where a counterfeit pops up, they can never fully copy an original cel/art piece whose parts are hidden.

I have seen MANY fan cels and counterfeit cels on Ebay, but when dealing with a fake, I always look at the screen cap or the cel it was made from and I have often found that the fan cel was produced just big enought o cover the screen capture. If you look at your Anime cels, they generally cover more area than a TV screen. They generally cut off 1-1.5" from top/bottom and 1-2" from the sides when snapping the image.

So, these are the criteria I use for early art pieces. I will try to post some more pictures when I get a chance, specifically close up shots to show specific age wear so many peeps (especially the new collectors) can use this as reference for age and production wear.

[Macron one]

This thread is quite interesting and informative! Fortunately, most of the anime series i collect from aren't subject to having many fakes circulating.
The only fakes i've personally come across were an imitation Ruri hanken cel and some fake Ruri cels from the episode where she goes to the Peaceland amusement park . I've seen several fakes based on that episode pop up on Yahoo Japan. I almost got suckered by one of those the first time i saw one appear on YJ. Fortunately, i noticed the paint colour and details seemed slightly off, so i compared it to my Nadesico DVD and found that it did not match up. The YJ seller who had it listed is normally very reliable too, so that was a narrow escape.