Collection of Manuscripts

[Koen G]

I always wonder when people talk about "forgeries" in the context of the VM, what exactly they mean. Can you find any definition of forgery that applies to it?

Are we talking about an official document signed with a fake signature, i.e. forgery as the white-collar crime?
Are we talking about You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view., "the creation and sale of works of art which are falsely credited to other, usually more famous artists"? If so, which famous artist is being falsely credited?
Are we talking about counterfeiting, i.e. an attempt to make an exact copy of existing currency?

In other words, what is the VM a forgery of, if one of its defining characteristics is being mysterious and unique?



Now, you might say, this is just a matter of definitions and we might use a different term. How about "a fake"? A fake what though? The same problem emerges. How can it be a fake version of something if it is unique? Wouldn't that just make it a real version of itself?