There are copies of Markie Moose and some of my other designs out there. They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I guess that I am flattered, but I’d rather that there were no copies of my designs, and especially none like the cheap copies that I have seen.

The copies I have seen are made of inferior metal. Even though they are advertised as "pewter" they are actually made of an alloy that is mostly lead and only 36% tin. Tin is the main ingredient in pewter. In order for a metal alloy to be considered pewter, it must be more than 50% tin. The higher the percentage of tin, the better. My designs contain 88% tin.

The copies also lack the crisp detail of an original Markie Moose product, and are not available in a gold finish.

Some of the copies that I have seen have a different moose head attached to my Markie Moose bodies, but the Markie Moose bodies and the activities that the moose is engaged in is unmistakably Markie Moose.

To be sure that you are buying a genuine Markie Moose product look for the following: all Markie Moose pins come on black cards. The Markie Moose cards say "Markie Moose", T Bear Cards say "T Bear", my realistic Wildlife Group come on black cards with a distinctive Mountains & Trees graphic, and Kris Moose designs come on green cards.

All of my designs: pins, key rings, necklaces, etc., are signed on the back of the piece. This signature is often small and hard to see, but it is there.

Genuine Markie Moose product is available at many reputable retailers in the northern United States and at www.MarkieMoose.com.