More about Antique Furniture.

a. What is a piece of furniture’s age, old enough to be antique ?

An antique is an item with at least 100 years of age under its belt. That means that genuine Victorian pieces are now true antiques. However, the term antique is used rather loosely and often ends up reflecting the age of the person using it. To a teenager, a toy from the ‘50s seems “antique.” From a personal standpoint, I tend to view items less than 75 years old as “collectible” rather than antique. So, anything with collectible value can show up in an antiques shop regardless of the age.

b. How do we know something is old?

This is one of those learn as you go things. The more you look at, handle and learn about real antiques, the easier it is to distinguish old from new, after that you can just know which is new, old or antique pieces. Some general things to look for are materials not often used in modern production, hand applied ornamentation that may be machine applied today and styling that might be indicative of a certain time period such as the Art Deco period or Arts & Crafts movement. Antiques and older collectibles are not going to be absolutely new looking in most cases. This is why people pay so much more for items in "mint” condition, because they don’t crop up as often as pieces with telltale signs of aging and wear.

c. Watch out with reproduction !

How can we fiqure out a piece of furniture is a kind of reproduction not real antique one. The thing that we can do is to learn as much as possible about your collecting preferences and pay attention to details that indicate something isn’t quite right. Buying more expensive pieces from a reputable dealer is another good way to avoid being taken.

There are many ways to determine if a piece of antique furniture is a true piece of history or a clever reproduction.

· Signs of age: Since wood shrinks over time, look for signs of cracking, warping, and fading, as well as slightly ragged edges (a sign of the old-fashioned, pre-motorized handsaw). Mirror glass should be very thin and slightly warped. Look for notes of this in seller descriptions.

· Imperfections: From your review of the listing’s images, try to determine if the piece’s boards are of varying widths. Uniform board widths are a fairly modern invention.

As always, it’s important to get all the facts. If you have questions about a specific piece, ask the seller. Most antique furniture sellers are happy to provide you with additional details or photos of the piece to help you make an informed decision.