Cousin Wesley was produced in 1998 as the next piece in the popular Nat West promotion. The money box was free for anyone 7-16 years old who opened up a bond with a £1,000 investment. 5,000 Wesley's were produced for this promotion. Wesley is a difficult and expensive piece to add to your collection, so it is no wonder that people started copying this piece to fool collectors. Shown at the right is a photo of the authentic Cousin Wesley.

How do I know if my Wade piece is authentic or a copy?
Wesley was produced in only one colorway which is blue hat and pants with a green coat. There were never any solid gold or solid pink Wesley pieces produced. The genuine Wesley measures 5 3/4 inches tall while the fake is under 5 1/2 inches tall. The original Wade piece is white inside while the forgery may be pink inside. Take a look at the painting of the hat and coat. The authentic Wade pieces are very precisely painted with even glaze coverage.

The forgeries many times have splotchy green coats and the hat may be poorly glazed with the blue spilling onto the face. The stopper of the Wade piece will be snug but can be removed easily where the copy will be difficult and hard to remove or install. The forgeries that have been seen on the market seem to have had a mold taken off the original Wade piece so the copy looks just like the original Wade piece.

Shown below are fake Cousin Wesleys.