| Buyers and sellers beware: The country's dire | | | | are trying to discover. |
| economic woes have created an explosion in the | | | | Use wood as an indicator of age. Wood tells the age |
| number of fake antique furniture and reproductions on | | | | of antique furniture. For example, before the early |
| the market. | | | | 1700s, walnut was the wood of choice among |
| Fake antiques and reproductions have always been a | | | | Europeans and U.S. colonists for Queen Anne tables |
| cause for concern. But the difference now is that | | | | and chairs, and for benches and cupboards. Mahogany |
| more fake furniture is flooding the market than ever | | | | was popular during the mid-18th century for formal |
| before, bought by unsuspecting buyers. | | | | dining room furniture. Oak was popular before 1700, but |
| So how do you make sure that you don't unknowingly | | | | enjoyed a resurgence in the 1900s in American mission |
| buy fakes or reproductions? | | | | furniture and Arts & Crafts designs. Oak is still |
| Visual inspection is critical to detecting fakes. | | | | very popular. |
| Research, Research, Research | | | | Rule out certain building materials. Antiques typically |
| This requires research. You'll have to know what is | | | | aren't made of plywood or particle board, because |
| appropriate -- and what is not appropriate -- for the | | | | those building materials didn't exist in the pre-20th |
| era in which the antique was made. . | | | | century. |
| Finding inappropriate features is a red flag; this means | | | | Examine how furniture is assembled. Certain joints and |
| your furniture is most likely a fake. | | | | cuts are synonymous with the era in which they were |
| Here are a few tips that will help you avoid buying | | | | made. Early craftsmen used mortise-and-tendon joints, |
| fake antiques or reproduced antiques: | | | | dovetail joints and wooden pegs. Nails are also good |
| Inspect the antique furniture. You should look at the | | | | indicators. Rose head nails were common in the 1700s; |
| wood, joints, tool marks, hardware and wood oxidation | | | | cut nails abounded from the late 1700s to the late |
| to determine its true age. Furniture doesn't lie. Wood, | | | | 1800s; and staples indicate more modern, 20th century |
| for example, darkens and shrinks the older it gets. It's | | | | manufacturing. |
| for this reason that genuine antiques made of wood | | | | By paying careful attention to how furniture is made, |
| often appear misshapen; it shrinks with age. An | | | | you can determine the authenticity of your furniture. |
| in-depth inspection will tell you most of the details you | | | | |