Millionaire forgers on parole

An update to this entry about the family of antiquities forgers who were finally busted after years of successfully pulling the wool over experts’ eyes: Curtain falls on antiques rogue show as last of family forgers convicted.

The 84 year-old pater familias amusingly monickered the “Artful Codger” by the British press was sentenced to 2 years in prison, suspended. His 83 year-old wife got a year, also suspended. Their son, the guy who actually made the fake artifacts in their garden shed, got a 4 and a half year sentence, not suspended.

Their motivations are still something of a mystery. It can’t have been filthy lucre since they lived pretty low on the proverbial hog. The speculation is frustrated artistic talent driving them to mock the establishment, but the Greenhalgh’s ain’t talkin’.

Last week the Guardian knocked on the Greenhalgh front door to ask these questions. A lock rasped shut, a blind was drawn and from behind the frosted glass plane a woman shouted: “Go away or I’ll set the dog on you.”

😆 I can’t help but like these guys. I’ll take a thousand skilled forgers over one looter, that’s for sure.