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.