Cartier???

[valley101]

I recently bought this letter opener in a thrift store, thinking it would be easy to look up, but after extensive research cannot find one like it anywhere!  Do you think it's a fake or just a hard to find example?  Thanks to anyone who can help!

[afantiques]

Is it really sterlinf silver?

I am inclined to think fake, but that is just a feeling, without any evidence.

Do Cartier, a French firm, not have their silver items marked as such in France?

[nova7000]

Cartier makes some nice things. Everytime I go into their store i'm like Dangerfield in Caddyshack when he says, "i'll take one of those, and two of those, and six of those..." 😉 But your photos should show the entire item, box, and contents, not be cropped like that. I'm inclined to think it's real but i'm not 100% sure so don't go by me. Have you tried contacting Cartier (cartier.us) and asking them for any info about it like when it was made? It's worth a shot. And i'm curious what you paid for it?

[valley101]

Thank you very much for your reply!

[valley101]

Thanks very much for your reply.  I will try and take some better pictures--I just thought uncropped pics wouldn't fit on thi=s site.  I did try to contact Cartier, but have not yet heard from them.  Thanks again!

[sonomabarn67]

If I was on the fraud squad and this came across my desk I would slap the FAKE sticker on it without even opening the box. Look at how clunky the word Cartier looks, and the box itself is a poor quality, generic one. And then on the bag it says "Car tier". 

Cartier packaging is just as refined as the objects inside. Finally, the letter opener itself lacks detail one would see on an authentic piece by them. There is a chance that it is sterling but that would be out of character with the rest of the presentation.

But, I'm not on the fraud squad.

[valley101]

Thank you!  I'm leaning toward your theory also!

[valley101]

Here are a few more (possibly better) pictures.

[valley101]

One more!

[nova7000]

Well i'm agreeing with the others after seeing your new pics. I didn't even notice before how the R and T on the blue bag was so off. And now seeing the whole box, the logo looks a bit off center too. Cartier would obviously never allow that. I'm saying fakeroni!

[valley101]

Evidence is beginning to mount!  Thanks so much for your reply.

[valley101]

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@sonomabarn67 wrote:

If I was on the fraud squad and this came across my desk I would slap the FAKE sticker on it without even opening the box. Look at how clunky the word Cartier looks, and the box itself is a poor quality, generic one. And then on the bag it says "Car tier". 

Cartier packaging is just as refined as the objects inside. Finally, the letter opener itself lacks detail one would see on an authentic piece by them. There is a chance that it is sterling but that would be out of character with the rest of the presentation.

But, I'm not on the fraud squad.

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Now I'm REALLY confused!!!  If you google Cartier anti-tarnish pouch, some come up with the exact same space between the r and t.  All fakes?  I don't know!

[maxine*j · Accepted solution]

That is a cheap, cheap box.  It's thin, badly constructed, badly glued.  Look at how the paper, instead of giving the appearance of near seamlessness is in lumpy and uneven pieces, with an underpiece laid on crookedly and the top piece was glued on with not much more finesse. 

Nothing ever left Cartier's in that box. 

Actually, I've seen much better fake Cartier boxes than that one.  Whoever did this either never saw  a Cartier box or wasn't even trying very hard to fool anyone.

Even these people who make and sell what they themselves cal "cheap replicas" make better looking boxes than that one:

http://www.vogy.co/cartier-packagings-wholesale.html

[sonomabarn67]

As I mentioned, your pouch reads as two words- car tier. The few that I just looked at read Cartier as one word. Possible that the ones you looked at were fake. Bottom line, Cartier is an impeccable brand with great attention to detail and would not skimp by sending out anything in a junky box as maxine said. If this were mine I would test for sterling and if so, double it over and toss in my silver scrap bin.