Finding the piece of antique furniture you’ve always wanted in a shop, auction or yard sale can be a joyful experience. It can, however, turn into a big disappointment if you discovered that the item is a fake. Learning a few antique furniture appraisal techniques will be well worth your time. Although only a truly experienced antique appraiser can recognize the real from the fake period piece, learning a few professional secrets will give you greater confidence the next time you shop for antique furniture.

For starters, be sure to identify the particular period styles that you prefer. Are you into Victorian or would Regency pieces suit your fancy? If you are searching for specific period pieces, be sure you have familiarized yourself in the common attributes and designs of the style. This will make you readily recognize the item once you see it.

Veneering

Recognizing veneering is one practical antique furniture appraisal technique that is worth learning. The process of veneering involves constructing the main body of the furniture with less expensive wood and then covering it with thin pieces of more expensive wood. Although this may appear as some method to cut production cost, furniture manufacturers soon began using the wood’s natural grain. There are a lot of fine antique furniture works that made use of natural wood grain into their design.

Patina

Looking for the patina in antique furniture is a reliable method of antique furniture appraisal. The patina is basically the naturally occurring gloss that an antique furniture gets from decades of accumulated dirt and polish. Patina builds up naturally and is almost impossible to duplicate. The patina indicates how some period pieces have been used or handled. There may be areas of wear in the furniture where it was often handled or lifted. If you observe that the patina is unnaturally consistent and smooth, this may indicate that some imperfections in the piece have been concealed or given an aged look that doesn’t go with the furniture.

Construction discrepancies

Have an idea of how the furniture was constructed. Recognize how the joints were put together. Does it involve old techniques like tendon, mortise and dovetailing? These methods are older than today’s use of glues and screws to hold joints together. If you notice screws, do a closer examination. If screws are of the recent types, you might be looking at a fake.

Another antique furniture appraisal step is to ascertain that the furniture has not been “married”. In antique furniture lingo, a “married” item means that two different pieces of furniture have been joined together as one item either for decorative or utility purpose. Though this does not diminish the piece’s appearance, it certainly brings down its value. Look for patina differences or more recent joints or screws.

Whether you are a collector or a dealer, knowledge in recognizing genuine and fake antique pieces is a must to guarantee you get the best deals possible.