I am in the process of buying an Eames 219 chair but I am suspicious of a fake although I can't exactly say why. The version in the showroom had Made in Norway written on the metal piece at the top of the pneumatic column but this one doesn't. It does have the Charles Eames tag at the center top backside but I suppose that's easy enough to stitch onto any fake. The leather doesn't quite seem as silky smooth as I recall Eames leather should be.
Are there any foolproof ways of telling?
Vitra
The one in Conran Shop says 'Made in Norway' as of this morning - and it is in the same exact place as the picture on the second page of the Vitra brochure would imply (although you can't quite read it):
http://www.vitra.com/en-gb/office/products/soft-pad-group-ea-217-ea-219/...
Maybe the pneumatic bit is made in Norway and purchased by Vitra to make the chair in Germany.
Vitra Fake...
There are many types of leather used on the Vitra ea219. Not all chairs (depending on age) have the back fabric tag. Some have been made in Norway. You can pull of the plastic cover covering the mechanism; this should have a vitra sticker with several numbers and a date. You should be able to tell straight off, if it is a fake as they all look wack! I have yet to see a good reproduction..
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