I recently purchased a Gondorian Shield on eBay described as being in 'Mint' condition.

Upon receiving the item, I found an 18" crack along the fourth wooden plank of the shield. This was somewhat visible in the seller's picture as a faint line, which I had assumed to be an intentional scratch from the distressed finish. But this is not a scratch, it is an actual crack that penetrates the wood through to the other side.

After questioning the seller about his failure to mention the crack and his improper description, he tells me that the crack is part of the intentional battle-worn finish since that's how it arrived to him.

Any advice on how to proceed?

This is the seller's picture. I have highlighted the cracked region.

That's bad luck mate, I'm not the e xp ert here but I'm sure someone with more knowhow will chip in, Jamanticus maybe? If it was me, if the shield feels solid and sturdy, and not about to fall apart, I would just accept it as battle worn. He may he telling the truth, UC may have cracked this but still sold it to him as it could be described as battle worn. if it bothers you, could you fill it/cover with black paint? if it feels loose, this may lead to problems and is probably not acceptable to you, so I'd be tempted to send it back if its within the timeframe you have to send items back (7 days is it?) hope this helps.

Cracks like that are not part of the aged finish. That's definitely something that went wrong with the wood, humidity change or temperature change or something making it crack like that. (Thranduil would know why). I think it could indeed have been shipped to the seller in that condition, but even then it's still a damaged piece.

If you can live with the crack, then it's not a problem, and if it were me, I'd do what Jamie said about filling it, but it is definitely *not* part of the factory weathering. That's a structural defect/damage right there.

Thanks for the replies, Jamie and Jamanticus.

Do you have any advice on how to deal with the seller? He will not accept a return or offer a partial refund. I'm quite upset because I was e xp ecting a mint condition item, and this crack does bother me a lot. The seller is claiming that since he bought it like that, the item is considered to be in mint condition and that the crack is part of the distressed finish.

The seller is full of crap.

An item purchased from the retailer with a glaring flaw or defect is *not* considered to be in mint condition, not by any self-respecting collector's standards. This is simply a case of him feeling lucky enough that he passed on a damaged piece and he doesn't want to refund you. Not sure what you can do about it. I'm not clear on ebay rules since I don't use it, but the least you can do is give him a negative rating and slag him the comments section. He deserves it.

As Jamanticus said, it is definitely not meant to be like that (UC may have sent it to the supplier he bought it from that way, but they shouldn't have) I would just tell him that the crack is definitely damaged and not 'battle worn' and that it should have been listed with this mentioned. Use the proper Ebay terms like 'improperly described' that might scare him a bit, and demand a refund. You could go so far as to emailing UC and getting them to confirm that a large crack isn't what they added as battle wear to the shields, then you have proof that it is not mint. I know it's a hassle, but only with proof with an item like this will you be able to demand it if the seller isn't very helpful. Does anyone on this forum know if UC marked shields that were 'seconds' ? I know the swords they scratched the blade near the logo, but I've no idea how it works with the shields. Good luck!

Any chance you can post some pics of the crack from both sides of the shield?

In most cases a split in a piece of wood is very fixable, and done properly would be invisible. Wood glue is in fact stronger than the wood itself.

I don't have one of these shields myself so I need to see what you're up against. Considering that the seller will do nothing but give you a hard time about refund etc...
Lets focus on getting the shield to be what it needs to be to, restored to its original value.

Thanks for all the help, guys. I'm out of town right now, so I won't be able to post any pictures of the shield at the moment.

I thought about selling the shield, but I might just accept the shield for what it is. Since the piece is battle-worn, the crack doesn't bother me as much. Over time, I'll probably get used to it. And if any non-collector ever asks, I could always say it's a part of the battle-worn finish.