Like in numerous other fields, gramophone needles tins have been copied or faked. In addition, standard sizes of gramophone needles tins have been borrowed to produce tins to another use. Some common tins were transformed, a new illustration was reprinted or glued on top while the original information on the back side was scraped to be removed (this is the case, for instance, of my serie of sultans).
With a little bit of practice you become skillful in distinguishing fakes from original tins. I keep some of them in my collection, either because they belong to the story of gramophone needles tins production, or simply because I like them.
Just have a look at those faked tins :
