Expert Tips when buying Antiques
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Research the items that you are considering collecting or purchasing. Numerous books have been written covering virtually every category of collecting. Learn as much as you can about construction, materials and style. Licensed professional antiques and collectibles dealers are also excellent sources of information.
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Shop at shows and shops that unconditionally guarantee their merchandise to be authentic antiques and collectibles. Sadly, everything sold under the guise of “antiques” is not. Experts estimate that 70% of what is sold today as “antique” is actually either fake or just plain new.
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When making a purchase get a written receipt, which includes the seller’s name, address and phone number, the date, a complete description of the item, including age, origin, any repairs or replacements, the price paid, method of payment and a guarantee of authenticity.
Professional antiques dealers will have no problem providing such information. Beware of vendors who “forgot” their receipt books. Have them write the important information of a piece of paper and sign it. Be sure you know the return policy of the seller.
When buying: Porcelains, Glassware, Silver, Pottery, Toys, Iron, Ivory & Collectibles:
Genuine antique pieces will have uneven scratches on the base. Fakes are being marked with the original trademarks, however the mark is usually slightly different from original, or completely different than the original. Know the proper marks, finish, correct size of items of interest. The overall quality of the piece is usually lesser. Smell it!
When buying Textiles:
Check for fold lines and normal wear when purchasing quilts, linens, coverlets & fabrics.
When buying Textiles:
When buying Paintings- Beware of the computer generated new paintings on the market. Old artwork will have natural crazing and discoloration. Fake crazing is easy to detect when you have studied the originals.
Furniture Buying:
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When buying antique furniture you should look for a variety things:
Oxidation: the natural color of wood changes over time affected by air. Be sure the change in color is from time, not caused by stain.
Patina: The natural process of an object being handled over the years will give a softer, mellow appearance. -
Check the inside of a cupboard, chest or drawer. When faking furniture, the most attention is given to the outside of the piece, not the interior. Check for unfinished surfaces or lack of stains, which would have been created over years of use in an antique. Smell the piece. It should not smell like fresh cut wood.
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A genuine antique piece of furniture will have wear to the feet, legs, and case no matter how well it was cared for. If it is an original piece of painted furniture, the wear should be natural and uneven. Fake wear on a painted piece of furniture is easy to spot once you have examined an authentic pieces. Old paint is hard, and is difficult to remove. New paint used on fake pieces is easy to remove. Dirt and dust should have collected in cracks and crevices. No dust? Beware!
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Back boards on antique furniture are almost always of uneven width. Back boards on fakes are usually uniform in size. Inspect for shrinkage. All old pieces will have some shrinkage.
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A fake will usually be made completely from one kind of wood. A genuine antique will almost always use several different woods. The case might be walnut, the drawers poplar.
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Old handmade nails vs. newly manufactured nails and the evidence of old tool marks are important clues as to the age of a piece of furniture.
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Many fakers are taking apart genuine pieces and recreating several “new” antiques using pieces from the old. Be sure your piece started life as it appears today.
Honest repairs and restoration are perfectly acceptable. Be sure you are aware of the difference between repaired and brand new.
Buying Fine American Prints
Everything you ever wanted to know about buying Fine American Prints, get in inside look into a print dealer at one of Dordy Fontinel’s Antiques Shows!
Gert Wirth of Ingeborg Gallery, Northfield, Massachusetts, (who specializes in prints and print making from the 1920’s, 1930’s and 1940’s) describes some of the things to consider when purchasing, prints and paintings.
Buying American & English Samplers
Rich Gryziec of RSG Antiques, Hanover Township, Pennsylvania shares some useful ideas and suggestions when purchasing American and English Samplers.