Fake News #2

Trusted news about things you can’t trust

Welcome to Fake News — Indelible’s round-up of moments where a little proof would have gone a long way… the ones that make us quietly whisper: “if only they’d used our ink.”

Jane Austen Inc

We were a little late to the celebrations of Jane Austen’s 250th birthday (where was our invite?), which took place across the UK throughout 2025. There was an eclectic mix of events, but one in particular caught our eye: “Inspired by Nature — Natural Ink Making with Oak Galls.”

During the two-hour workshop, participants were invited to “experiment with Jane Austen’s own recipe to make the oak gall ink with which she penned her famous novels, using dip pens, quills and brushes.”

It’s fair to say the technology we use — embedding unique molecular markers into ink so each application can be verified — is a touch more advanced. Still, we like to think Jane would have approved. She was clearly serious about ink technology even then.

And for today’s collectors: if you’re about to part with AUD 90,000 for a collection of Austen’s books, it would be rather comforting to know you could test them.

Sour Grapes

Sticking with the theme of being fashionably late — and acknowledging that Christmas is the perfect time to revisit old films — we finally watched the 2016 American crime documentary Sour Grapes.

It tells the story of Indonesian wine collector Rudy Kurniawan, who spent lavishly on fine wine, particularly Burgundy, and sold just as enthusiastically. One auction house alone moved USD 35 million worth of wine in 2006.

There was, however, a small problem. Kurniawan was also adept at collecting empty bottles, refilling them with cheap wine, and forging the labels.

As we prepare to roll out a solution aimed at tackling fraud in the wine industry from Q1 this year, it’s a sobering reminder of why authentication needs to move beyond paper, reputation, and trust alone.

Until the next fake, keep it real with Indelible House.