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Picture courtesy of Spink

A block of 5 copy clasps identified as such by Spink.

A block of 4 copy clasps from the next Noonan's sale. All identified as such.

Original clasps has been added for comparison purposes. Some of the differences are thinness of the letters in the copies eg the O in 'Johannesburg' and the fact that the M does not extend to the bottom of the letter as in 'Kimberley'. Another common problem with copies is the horizontal spacing but that is less of an issue in this example. These copies also exhibit problems with how letter such as L and E are finished. In the original, the finishing stroke is vertical whereas the letters in the copy end with a diagonal stroke. Finally, the vertical spacing in the copies is extended compared to the original (but the original clasps are not wholly consistent in their example either).

Hi David, thank you for the explanation points that accompanied your photos. Very helpful indeed and often I find knowing what it should look like is the key...