Hello folks!

I wanted to drop you a line to warn all of you 
who happen to be either Macross or Haruhiko 
Mikimoto fans about a fake sketch on yahoo 
Japan! The URL for this auction is:

http://page13.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/r
5531014

This sketch is a FORGERY! How do I know? If 
you have the patience, I'll tell you a story.

Several years ago, I did many deals, 
purchases and trades with Olivier Gilbert, the 
chairman of the Cartoonist Convention in 
France. Since many well know guests like 
Mikimoto, Akemi Takada, Yuki Nobuteru and 
others have come as GOHs at the past 
Cartoonist conventions, Olivier has had 
access to lots of great artwork, which he 
sold/traded away. I acquired some great art 
from Olivier, and he sent me many scans of 
the artwork, which I kept on my computer. One 
sketch was a black and white Minmei sketch, 
which I was very interested in, but at the time, I 
didn't have the funds to buy it, so I passed it 
up. A few years later, some guy from Hong 
Kong got a glance of my sketch gallery and 
offered to make a trade with me, one sketch 
for one sketch. This guys' name was Jack, but 
his real name is Chan Yiu Wai. He offered to 
trade me this same Minmei sketch, the same 
one that Olivier offered to me long ago. He 
said he bought it from Olivier and that he had 
two Minmei sketches and would be willing to 
trade one away. I asked him to send the 
sketch to me first in good faith, and I would 
send the sketch he wanted in my collection 
after I received his. When I received the 
Minmei sketch, I compared it to the scan that 
Olivier sent me. I found many things that just 
didn't add up. Some lines added in places 
where there were no lines, lines missing in 
other spots, unusual shapes, etc. It was a 
great forgery, but there were enough 
noticeable differences in line work to tell that 
this was indeed a forgery and not the real 
sketch. Luckily, I had the scan of the original to 
compare with or I would have indeed been 
suckered into this deal! I wrote this guy back 
and told him that this was a forgery. He didn't 
write me back for a few weeks (I thought he 
probably was really ashamed and 
embarassed that I found out), and then out of 
the blue, he wrote me and asked for the 
sketch back, which I sent back to him at his 
cost. I warned him that if he ever tried to sell 
this sketch online to another collector, and if I 
found out, that I would warn as many people 
as possible. I can't believe this guy had the 
nerve to put it online after I warned him!  I wish 
I could write Japanese; if so, I would send 
Yahoo Japan a note and warn them of this 
forgery!

Chinese are masters of forgery and fakes. 
They are skilled at making fake designer 
clothing, watches, Japanese robot toys, anime 
DVDs and now artwork!

In any case, please don't bid on this forgery! If 
you have already bidded, please try to retract 
your bid! Avoid this guy like the plague! I hope 
that this notice gets to as many people as 
possible!!!