| The best way to protect yourself from losing money | | | | than an intact piece, so refrain from buying these. |
| on fake furniture is still your own study and | | | | When buying furniture with legs, a genuine antique |
| familiarization with the materials, construction styles | | | | piece should be well crafted to stand sting and |
| and the styles of your chosen period. It is also | | | | proudly while the surrounding wood is expected to |
| important to get into the nitty-gritty details to be | | | | shrink a little. Also, feel the piece with your hands. |
| absolutely sure of your purchase. | | | | The smoothing plane was not invented yet, so an old |
| If your furniture is made of wood, you should expect | | | | board feels very different from a modern, |
| some shrinkage. If the sides are too perfect, they | | | | machine-planed one. |
| may not be as old as the dealer claims them to be. | | | | Check the dovetail joints on pieces that claim be |
| Large boards were commonly used because lumber | | | | made earlier than the 19th century. If they are too |
| was much more abundant in the old days. As a | | | | sleek and clean, they are most likely to be cut by |
| result, many tables and chests were often made | | | | modern tools when they should have been cut by |
| with a single large board and the other parts were | | | | hand. Also, take a close look at the veneers on |
| cut in awkward shapes to minimize wasted wood. | | | | pieces that date earlier than the 19th century. They |
| Furniture made out of maple, cherry and pine should | | | | should be thicker than machine cut veneers. |
| be inspected closely. Fake antiques have different | | | | Remember that all wood was sawn and separated |
| wood grains in different parts of the piece because | | | | by hand until the late 18th century when the circular |
| they most likely used different kinds of wood (as | | | | saw was invented. If the piece was sawn by hand, it |
| lumber is harder to come by these days), hence | | | | should bear straight or circular saw marks that are |
| there will be different grains. If a dealer says that | | | | quite visible on the wooden surface. |
| you are buying something made out of old pine, be | | | | Check the handles. Handles are important in dating a |
| careful. Many supposedly antique pine furniture pieces | | | | piece, but it is more common to find pieces with |
| have been made out of old pine floorboards. You will | | | | replaced handles. Antique handles were cast by hand |
| get antique wood, but not an antique piece. This | | | | from a single piece of metal, usually brass. The nuts |
| principle is applied in all other wooden furniture. | | | | that attached the handles in the 18th century are |
| Check the color of the piece. A typical yellow color is | | | | irregular and circular. Newer nuts are hexagonal and |
| noticeable in antique furniture because the wood's | | | | machine-cut. |
| patina "glows" with years of polishing. The color | | | | Inspect the locks. Antique locks are made of |
| should not also be even because carving and groves | | | | wrought iron that were held in place by iron nails. |
| will be darker than the exposed surfaces. If the | | | | After the 18th century, locks were made of steel |
| wood does not have the patina of age and the | | | | and brass. Steel screws also replaced iron nails. |
| dealer claims it is quite old, you are looking at a sure | | | | Check the carving: an original and complete carving on |
| fake. | | | | your piece adds to the price and desirability. If your |
| View the entire piece for balance. If a part looks out | | | | carving was added with other carvings on a later |
| of place, it may be a "marriage" of old boards on a | | | | date, the value of the piece is lesser. If your furniture |
| newer piece. A "marriage" is a piece made out of | | | | has inlay, your piece can also have a greater value as |
| separate items and these are always less desirable | | | | it gets older. |