Antique Or Not ? (Part Two)

On many occasions I have found myself evaluating a customers furniture, only to be shown a “very old and valuable” antique. “It’s very old”, Or “it’s a real antique” usually starts the conversation, followed by the story of how It ended up in their possession. All to often, the “antique” turns out not to be an antique at all!

So how can you tell? The antique dealer said It was a period Hepplewhite sideboard, and the price sticker would support that, so it must be an antique right? Not necessarily. Honestly, I approach every piece with skepticism. The truth is, for every true period antique, there are many thousands of reproductions. I look at every piece assuming it is not a period antique, and then use the power of deduction to make a final determination.

Here are some simple things the every day collector can look for in order to help determine If a piece has real age, or if it may be a newer reproduction.

1) Pull out a drawer. Are the dovetails hand cut or machine made? If you don’t see hand cut dovetails, It’s a reproduction. Next I look at the drawer bottom. Is the bottom solid wood or laminated plywood. Plywood indicates it could be a reproduction. Also, does the unfinished wood “look old”? If the inside of the drawer is finished or stained….beware!

2) Next, look at the outside back. If It’s one piece of plywood, it might not be an antique (unless someone replaced the “real” back). Also, the outside back should not be finished or stained.

3) If you can see dowels anywhere within the construction….It’s probably not an antique.

4) If I am still not sure, I start looking inside the cabinet at the tooling marks. If everything inside the cabinet is smooth, I’d know it wasn’t that old. Sandpaper did not exist In the 18Th century, so on very old furniture there was no attempt to hide machine marks in unseen places. Look to be sure there are no “circular” machine marks. Circulating saws did not exist before the industrial revolution of the mid nineteenth century.

These are just a few of the most obvious signs to look out for, but you would be surprised at how many pieces don’t make it beyond this checklist. Either way…If It’s beautiful or special to you….enjoy It !!!