Abacus
Antique Dealers: Antique Or Not That Is The Question?
When
starting out in the world of antiques it can be a
problem determining if an actual item is an antique
or if it is a fake, there are many experts who have
been duped by this so the beginner cant be faulted
by mistaking what they think is as an Elizabethan
chair worth thousands, for something that was made
only last month.
The
techniques used to make reproduction and fake antiques
have grown tremendously and it can be almost impossible
for even the experts to cast their eye over the object
and at first glance declare the item antique.
The
key fact when it comes to determining the authenticity
of an object is a close and through examination of
that object, inspection hands on is sometimes the
only way to tell between an antique and a fake.
Any
reputable antiques dealer will of course know the
importance of this and of course if they have nothing
to hide will have no objection whatsoever to you doing
so. In fact if the dealer is wary then this should
ring all the warning bells and alarms and tell you
that all might not be right with the piece. Here are
some tips that you should take under your wing when
out shopping for antiques to add to your growing collection.
If
you are travelling around a flea, market, car boot
or similar and notice items that people are offering
items that are similar then of course this is a clear
indication that those items are fakes or reproductions,
antiques of this type do come in abundance and spotting
more than three should be a clear warning sign.
If
you see an item on offer and have a rough idea of
the true value of that item but it seems like a great
bargain then consider this to be a warning sign. While
sometimes the person selling doesn’t realise
the true value of the item in more cases than not
the price is low because there is either something
wrong with it or it is a fake or reproduction. This
is when you should take the hands on approach and
take a better look at the item in question before
deciding to snap up a bargain for yourself.
Be
very wary of an item that has uniform dirt on it,
the reasons for this is that many traders will deliberately
try to make the piece look old by covering it in grime
themselves. You can expect antique furniture to be
dirty but remember that dirt will usually accumulate
more in the nooks and crannies of the piece rather
than be uniform, overall dirt should be regarded with
caution as this could be a cover up to make you believe
the item is a lot older than it is.
Look
for any man made signs on the item, some reproduction
furniture is deliberately made with knots and wear
and tear to give the overall impression of age. However
with a careful eye you can learn to distinguish what
is natural and what is man made to look extremely
old.
