Hey, everyone.
I hope you’re all enjoying the change of season!
If you’re on the facebook group you may have seen the '05 Psycho for sale that looks… how shall I say it… rough.
From what the owner can gather, it’s been reworked at least 3 times since Justin made it. There are a couple of signatures inside the mask in addition to Justin’s. It’s a shame. The good news is I think all of the alterations were superficial. The eye cuts look unaltered.
The current owner picked it up about a year ago at a local record store that had a decent-sized Horror selection. He was thrilled to have found it sitting there.
Anyway, I bought it from him.
I see this mask as a potential piece. I’ve seen what a really good '05 Psycho can achieve (looking at you, Rody and KKF) and I think this mask can be great. In my mind, this is an '05 blank from Mabry’s shop. This mask needs a professional finish.
HOWEVER…
I’m concerned whether or not it IS, in fact, an '05 Psycho. I don’t think the make or model is in question, it looks like an NO Psycho to me, but I guess it wouldn’t surprise me to find out Justin’s signature had been altered or forged, given the unscrupulous nature of some of the people in this hobby. To be clear: I’m not saying the person I bought the mask from would have done something like this, it’s just an old mask that’s been passed around a lot… the opportunities for someone to have done something like this would have been numerous.
I don’t know the nuances of most masks, let alone masks that were en vogue almost 20 years ago, so I can’t judge the mask’s manufacture date based solely on physical characteristics. I had to study Justin’s signature and determine whether or not it looked authentic.
From what I’ve seen of Justin’s signature, he usually signs in neat handwriting. The signature on this mask is pretty haphazard and sloppy. There are a few notable tendencies in his signature that ARE present in the signature on the mask, which is why I decided to purchase it.
I reached out to Justin yesterday to see if he could take a look, but I don’t expect a response. I imagine he has much better things to do with his time than confirm or disprove the legitimacy of a mask he made almost two decades ago.
So, I’m going to post a few pictures I took from the facebook advertisement (I won’t have the mask in my possession until next week) and ask the community to tell me what they think of it. Does it appear to be an authentic '05 Psycho from what you all can gather?
I’d like to feel more confident in knowing the origin of the mask before I pay an artist to bring this mask back to life. I’m pretty sure this is a really old Psycho, and that’s cool, but I bought it in hopes of having an early run '05 (widely considered a favorite among collectors) and a really special piece of the hobby’s history. If it’s not an '05, I’m not sure I want to sink any more money into it… at least not right now.
Any help is much appreciated!
Thanks, guys.
Best,
HEDGE