In a recent eBay auction, a buyer was duped into paying over $1,000 for a vintage Apple employee badge that turned out to be a fake. The badge, purportedly belonging to Sherry Livingston, Apple employee #10, was accompanied by a hand-drawn map of Apple's office layout. However, the item was revealed to be a meticulous forgery after the sale.
The fake badge was initially spotted by Mastodon user Eric Vitiello, who believed the listing to be genuine. However, upon closer inspection, key details raised suspicions. Apple's Chris Espinosa, who is employee #8 and still with the company, confirmed the forgery. He pointed out discrepancies in the typewritten font and the quality of the paper used for the map, debunking the item's authenticity.
Cabel Sasser, co-founder of Panic Inc., further investigated the matter by contacting the seller. In a series of messages detailed on his blog, Sasser revealed that the seller's story about acquiring the badge was inconsistent. Although the seller provided a purchase receipt from Germany dated 2001, it too was found to be a fake.
Unfortunately, the buyer was already out of pocket by the time these revelations came to light, having paid just over $1,000 including shipping for the counterfeit badge.
This incident is not the first time fake Apple memorabilia has surfaced. In 2022, a supposed Atari job application form filled out by Steve Jobs was withdrawn from a memorabilia auction site after doubts about its authenticity emerged. Unlike the recent eBay incident, the auction site promptly removed the item, sparing potential buyers from being scammed.
This case serves as a reminder to collectors to exercise caution and verify the authenticity of memorabilia before making significant purchases.
