You bought dross, dude!
Bill from the Globe probably said it best: “All that glitters is not gold”. I don’t have much of the stuff around, even counting a stockpile of obsolete electronics, but I care about the concept. If you want to put your money into tiny tablets with a fancy logo, at least let the base metal be genuine.
There’s a story unfolding that involves our national mint. Product identity at its most expensive. And imagine finding out that the carefully packaged bar of Au that you brought home from the bank is nothing but dross. Worse, that the mint claims they had nothing to do with the subterfuge. I smell a great movie coming out of this one.
The bank hasn’t told their side, yet. Remember, the buck stopped in that teller’s cage.
Counterfeit products abound. Check on the availability of high end winter coats bearing a famous logo involving a nasty, territorial bird. The firm has to remain vigilant, year round, because you can buy a coat that looks like theirs, without any of the redeeming features (nasty, territorial feathers).
And art… actually, if you pay a lot for a painting, you need to reconsider the market that has you clearly in their sights. Some canvas, some oily paints, a famous signature… price wise, the sky is the limit (particularly if the painting has sky as a main element).
Music: not so much. Even the best cover band can’t sound like the Beatles all of the time. Or the Stones. I’m showing my age here, again. And counterfeit chocolate bars; aren’t they all?
