This pair of Staffordshire dogs came in at our show in Columbus, last year. Original Staffordshire dogs were very desirable back in the day. A good set could sell in the thousand dollar range. Then a bad thing happened on the way to the forum, they started reproducing them.
Some reproductions are easy to pick out. They have obvious flaws or are of such lower quality that determining them to be repro's is an easy task. Staffordshire dogs are a little more difficult. Many of the repro's are actually pretty good. This fact along with a declining market in general for classic antiques such as these, has lead to a drastic drop in prices.
A quick look at eBay will show you that the reproduction dogs can be purchased for just a few dollars. A good set of verified antique dogs sell for around $250. Quite a drop from the good old days. I would suggest to anyone who is just going for the look, buy the new. You don't have to worry as much about them being broken, and the overall appearance is close enough to the old, that you won't notice the difference.
For you antique purists out there, make sure that you ask for a guarantee on any dogs that you purchase...especially on any online purchases.
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