You hear that low, industrial hum before you see the boat. It’s a sketchy sound. Honestly, Jolly Redd’s Treasure Trawler looks like it belongs in a different game entirely, docked at that tiny, "secret" beach at the back of your island. If you've played Animal Crossing: New Horizons for more than a week, you know the feeling of squinting at a digital screen, trying to figure out if a statue’s right foot is slightly too far forward or if a painted woman’s eyebrows are just a bit too arched. It’s stressful. It’s gambling. It’s Redd.
Let’s be real: the guy is a crook. But he’s a necessary crook if you ever want to finish that museum wing. Blathers won't accept your "generous donations" if they're fakes, and Redd is banking on the fact that you don't know your art history.
Getting Redd to Actually Show Up
For a long time, players were frustrated because Redd felt like a ghost. You’d go weeks without seeing that little Ginkgo leaf icon on your map. Early in the game's life cycle, the spawn rates were a mess. Thankfully, Nintendo patched things up. Now, if you've talked to Blathers about art and donated enough bugs, fish, and fossils, Redd becomes a regular part of the NPC rotation.
He’s not just on the boat anymore, either. Once you unlock the stalls on Harv’s Island, you can basically fund his permanent shop. It costs 100,000 Bells. Pay it. Seriously. Having access to two rotating items every day on Harv’s Island is the only way to finish the art gallery before the year 2030 without time traveling. On the island, his inventory refreshes every Monday, but if you buy a piece, he replaces it with something else the next day. It’s a loophole. Use it.
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The Art of the Scam: Spotting Fakes in Redd Animal Crossing New Horizons
Redd’s whole business model relies on your ignorance. He carries four pieces of art—paintings and statues—and usually, only one is genuine. Sometimes, though, they’re all fake. Occasionally, you get lucky and two are real. It’s random. To win, you need to look for specific visual cues that differentiate the "Forgery" from the "Genuine" article.
Take the Academic Painting, which is actually Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man. In the fake version, there’s a massive coffee stain in the top right corner. It’s not subtle. But then you have the Wild Painting Right Half. This one is a nightmare. You’re looking at a screen-style painting of a deity. In the fake, the deity is green. In the real one, he’s white. If your screen brightness is low or you’re playing in handheld mode, it’s incredibly easy to mess that up.
The statues are even trickier. The Robust Statue (Discobolus) is a classic trap. The fake version has a watch on the man's wrist. A watch. In ancient Greece. It's funny until you realize you just spent 4,980 Bells on a piece of trash that Blathers won't even look at. Then there’s the Ancient Statue, which is based on a Dogu figurine. The fake one has glowing eyes and actually floats when you interact with it at night. Honestly? Some people prefer the fakes because they’re "haunted" and look cool in a basement, but they won't help your museum's completion rating.
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Why the Museum Matters More Than You Think
You might wonder why you should bother with the art wing at all. Beyond the satisfaction of a "Gold" rating for your museum, the art gallery is one of the most visually stunning parts of the game. The lighting changes as you walk through. The music is muted and echoing. It feels like a real space.
But there’s a secondary market here. Real art is the ultimate trading currency in the Animal Crossing community. If you find a genuine Valiant Statue (the Winged Victory of Samothrace) and you already have it in your museum, keep it. Don't sell it to the Nooklings for a pittance. Go to a community hub like Nookazon or a dedicated Discord. People will trade hundreds of Nook Miles Tickets or millions of Bells for genuine high-tier statues. Redd’s boat is essentially a high-stakes lottery where the jackpot is a digital marble statue of a headless angel.
The "Haunted" Art Rumors
This isn't just creepypasta; some of Redd's fakes are legitimately haunted. If you buy the fake Scary Painting (the one with the man making a claw-like gesture), watch his expression. At night, his eyebrows change shape, curving downward into a scowl. The fake Wistful Painting (Girl with a Pearl Earring) closes her eyes at certain times.
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Nintendo added these little details to give the fakes some "value" for players who like a spooky aesthetic. It’s a brilliant bit of game design. It turns a "loss" (buying a fake) into a unique furniture item that you can't get anywhere else. If you're building a haunted house or a secret laboratory theme, you actually want Redd to scam you.
Maximizing Your Odds Every Week
If you want to be efficient, stop guessing. Use the camera tool in the game to zoom in close. The "look" feature isn't just for flavor; it’s a gameplay mechanic. Move the camera around the edges of the frames. Sometimes the "signature" or the lack of a seal on the back of the canvas is the giveaway, though usually, the visual discrepancy is on the front.
Also, talk to your villagers. Occasionally, a smug or cranky villager will send you a piece of art in the mail. Sometimes it’s real! It’s rare, but it happens. It’s a nice break from the constant scrutiny of Redd’s dimly lit boat.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Visit
Don't go into Redd’s boat unprepared. He thrives on impulse buys.
- Open a high-res reference guide on your phone. Sites like Polygon or Nookipedia have side-by-side comparisons. Use them. Do not rely on your memory of a 16th-century oil painting.
- Check the furniture. Redd also sells two pieces of furniture at a premium price. These are usually color variants you can't find in your own Nook’s Cranny. Even if the art is all fake, the furniture might be worth the markup.
- Always buy the "Haunted" fakes. Even if you don't want them, they are highly collectible. The Ancient Statue with the glowing eyes is a fan favorite.
- Fund the Harv’s Island stall immediately. It’s the single best investment you can make for museum completion. Waiting for the boat to dock at your island is a loser's game.
Redd is a jerk, but he's your jerk. Once you learn his tells, the Trawler becomes less of a scam-hub and more of a curated gallery waiting for you to pick it clean. Just remember: if the statue has a smile that looks a little too "modern," it's probably because it is.