Forgery is the process of making, adapting, or imitating objects,
statistics, or documents with the intent to deceive or earn profit by selling the
forged item. Copies, studio replicas, and reproductions are not considered
forgeries, though they may later become forgeries through knowing and willful
misrepresentations. Forging money or currency is more often called
counterfeiting. But consumer goods may also be counterfeits if they are not
manufactured or produced by the designated manufacture or producer given
on the label or flagged by the trademark symbol. When the object forged is a
record or document it is often called a false document.
This usage of "forgery" does not derive from metalwork done at a forge, but it
has a parallel history. A sense of "to counterfeit" is already in the
Anglo-French verb forger, meaning "falsify".
A forgery is essentially concerned with a produced or altered object. Where the
prime concern of a forgery is less focused on the object itself – what it
is worth or what it "proves" – than on a tacit statement of criticism that is
revealed by the reactions the object provokes in others, then the larger
process is a hoax. In a hoax, a rumor or a genuine object planted in a concocted
situation, may substitute for a forged physical object.
The similar crime of fraud is the crime of deceiving another, including through
the use of objects obtained through forgery. Forgery is one of the
techniques of fraud, including identity theft. Forgery is one of the threats
addressed by security engineering. In the 16th century, imitators of
Albrecht Dürer's style of printmaking improved the market for their own prints
by signing them "AD", making them forgeries. In the 20th century the art
market made forgeries highly profitable. There are widespread forgeries of
especially valued artists, such as drawings originally by Pablo Picasso,
Paul Klee, and Henri Matisse. A special case of double forgery is the
forging of Vermeer's paintings by Han van Meegeren, and in its turn the
forging of Van Meegeren's work by his son Jacques van Meegeren.
Criminal law = England and Wales and Northern
Ireland= In England and Wales and Northern
Ireland, forgery is an offence under section 1 of the Forgery and
Counterfeiting Act 1981, which provides: A person is guilty of forgery if he
makes a false instrument, with the intention that he or another shall use
it to induce somebody to accept it as genuine, and by reason of so accepting
it to do or not to do some act to his own or any other person’s prejudice.
"Instrument" is defined by section 8, "makes" and "false" by section 9, and
"induce" and "prejudice" by section 10. Forgery is triable either way. A person
guilty of forgery is liable, on conviction on indictment, to
imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years, or, on summary conviction, to
imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, or to a fine not exceeding
the statutory maximum, or to both. For offences akin to forgery, see
English criminal law#Forgery, personation and cheating.
The common law offence of forgery is abolished for all purposes not relating
to offences committed before the commencement of the Forgery and
Counterfeiting Act 1981. = Scotland=
Forgery is not an offence under the law of Scotland, except in cases where
statute provides otherwise. The Forgery of Foreign Bills Act 1803
was repealed in 2013. = Republic of Ireland=
In the Republic of Ireland, forgery is an offence under section 25(1) of the
Criminal Justice Act, 2001 which provides:
A person is guilty of forgery if he or she makes a false instrument with the
intention that it shall be used to induce another person to accept it as
genuine and, by reason of so accepting it, to do some act, or to make some
omission, to the prejudice of that person or any other person.
A person guilty of forgery is liable, on conviction on indictment, to
imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years, or to a fine, or to both.
Any offence at common law of forgery is abolished. The abolition of a common law
offence of forgery does not affect proceedings for any such offence
committed before its abolition. Except as regards offences committed
before the commencement of the Criminal Justice Act, 2001 and except where the
context otherwise requires, without prejudice to section 65(4)(a) of that
Act, references to forgery must be construed in accordance with the
provisions of that Act. = Canada=
Forgery is an offence under sections 366, 367 and 368 of the Canadian
Criminal Code. The offence is a hybrid offence, subject to a maximum prison
sentence of: if tried summarily: 6 months
if tried on indictment: 10 years Civil law
As to the effect, in the United Kingdom, of a forged signature on a bill of
exchange, see section 24 of the Bills of Exchange Act 1882.
Documentary art Before the invention of photography,
people commonly hired painters and engravers to "re-create" an event or a
scene. Artists had to imagine what to illustrate based on the information
available to them about the subject. Some artists added elements to make the
scene more exotic, while others removed elements out of modesty. In the 18th
century, for example, Europeans were curious about what North America looked
like and were ready to pay to see illustrations depicting this faraway
place. Some of these artists produced prints depicting North America, despite
many having never left Europe. In popular culture
The 1839 novel by Honoré de Balzac, Pierre Grassou, concerns an artist who
lives off forgeries. The Orson Welles documentary F for Fake
concerns both art and literary forgery. For the movie, Welles intercut footage
of Elmyr de Hory, an art forger, and Clifford Irving, who wrote an
"authorized" autobiography of Howard Hughes that had been revealed to be a
hoax. While forgery is the ostensible subject of the film, it also concerns
art, film making, storytelling and the creative process.
The 1966 heist comedy film How to Steal a Million centers around Nicole Bonnet
attempting to steal a fake Cellini made by her grandfather.
The 1972 novel by Irving Wallace, The Word concerns archaeological forgery,
the finding and translation of a supposed lost gospel by James the Just,
close relative of Jesus Christ, as part of a large project to be published as a
new Bible that would inspire a Christian revival, but which is possibly a forged
document. The 2002 film Catch Me If You Can,
directed by Steven Spielberg, is based on the real story of Frank Abagnale, a
con man who stole over $2.5 million through forgery, imposture and other
frauds, which are dramatized in the film. His career in crime lasted six
years from 1963 to 1969. The graphic art novel The Last Coiner,
authored by Peter M. Kershaw, is based on the exploits of the 18th century
counterfeiters, the Cragg Vale Coiners, who were sentenced to execution by
hanging at Tyburn. See also
References and sources References
Sources Cohon, Robert. Discovery & Deceit:
archaeology & the forger's craft Kansas: Nelson-Atkins Museum, 1996
Muscarella, Oscar. The Lie Became Great: the forgery of Ancient Near Eastern
cultures, 2000 "Imaginary Images" in Detecting the
Truth: Fakes, Forgeries and Trickery at Library and Archives Canada
External links Bibliographies of archaeological
forgeries, art forgeries etc Museum security mnetwork: sources of
information on art forgery; with encyclopedic links
Fakes and Forgeries on the Trafficking Culture website, University of Glasgow