Antiques of Sparta

I’m sorry to have to post this negative review, but the owner, Mike Gilbert, has given me no other option. Now, I fully realize that antique stores generally have a «buyer beware» policy, but let me explain:
On Oct 29, 2015 I was in the store and saw for sale a Griswold skillet display rack. Even as an amateur cast iron collector, I knew that they are rare and expensive. The price tag on it was $ 250! I haggled a bit and joked around with Mike, before having him take me up on a $ 175 offer.
I got back home, and within about two hours, had learned that it was a fake (see
). The cast nameplate on mine is non-​magnetic plated brass rather than iron, as on the original.
I called Mike and explained in detail how I knew it was a reproduction. At first, he expressed disbelief. Then he promised to research it himself and get back to me. He didn’t get back to me
A few days later, I called again, and had to remind him who I was and what I was calling about. No, he had done no research (I had also emailed links to the information to the emal address on his business card, but he said that he never reads those). But he’ll look into it (again!)
A third call a few days later, I asked him to either refund my money, or send me a check for half of it, and we’ll both call it an expensive lesson learned. His response, «If I do that for you, I’ll have to do that for everyone!» (really Mike? You have that many problems with reproductions?) He gave me the old «Don’t call me, I’ll call you» routine.
I hadn’t heard from him so called him back tonight and politely repeated my suggestion to split the difference and we’ll both have learned a lesson. He hung up on me. So, I’m stuck with a $ 175 lesson. Thanks, Mike.