It takes years of experience and study for someone to master the art of dating antiques. One could easily figure out when a piece of antique was first produced or even found, once enough knowledge about the piece is discovered. Read through books in your areas of interest, research online, participate in groups, discuss with others, get hold of as many authentic, old items as you can whenever you can, such as during antique shows. Just do whatever it takes to build your confidence level in handling antiques. Later on, you’ll realize that much studying about these pieces of art and history, are already part of your system, and you can now easily determine the age of a particular piece of antique whenever someone enquired from you about this. Having an eye for quality, that most collectibles or antiques possess, not only help you figure out the wheat from the chaff, but gives you an edge when pricing these valuable pieces of art. As not everyone is well-informed on this, you may have an advantage over them, especially when digging for valuables others may consider as bargains.
Here are some specific factors you will need to focus on when digging for much needed information about a piece of antique:
- Consider the type of materials as well as the techniques used in producing the piece. Modern productions may have a huge difference in terms of the consistencies of the markings left by the tools used in creating the piece. Older productions, on the other hand, uses tools and techniques that leave prints that uniquely characterizes that period.
- Differentiate hand applied ornamentation from what would likely be machine applied at present. Again clues are provided in the manner the tools/equipment are used in coming up with a piece of collectible or antique. Checking for uneven appearances in each piece might give a clue.
- Styles presented in the piece may also indicate certain time period such as Victorian, Art Deco, the Arts & Crafts movement or Mid-Century Modern, which is also referred to as Eames-era design.
- Gauge the quality of material used in the production of the piece of collectible or antique. Note that earlier productions usually considers higher quality and longer-lasting materials, and normally created by hand creating a more customized product that those that are normally mass produced today.Moreover, companies that manufacture pieces of collectibles nowadays, rely on heavy duty commercial equipment that most of the time uses low-cost materials to keep the profit margin up.Although this does not always apply to every production that are mass produced or made available in the market by exporters, there is always a big difference with antiques as compared with those mass produced collectibles which accounts for their higher cost than their new counterparts.
- Finally, as there are old brands that are still in existence today, such as Mellerio, Toye, Kenning & Spencer, etc., shopping around for vintage items in import houses give you additional information that will help you easily recognize a piece of craft, and identify possible age or year that specific piece was first introduced.
Mavens have their share of “just knowing” a piece of antique. With every discovery, you will learn more, and as you continue to dig for signs from the past of that piece of art, you will later find yourself more confident in handling information related to it.
Explore and enjoy the journey.
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