subject: How To Buy Antique Wooden Furniture? [print this page] Antique furniture is one of the most difficult pieces to find that is not damaged or been repaired to detract from the value of the piece. Almost every town and city has antiques shops and markets selling antique wooden furniture at prices reflecting the popularity and value of the furniture; in order to purchase antiques for a fraction of their value most people search through car boot sales, estate sales and the stored furniture of family members looking for unearthed bargains.
One of the most important factors in purchasing antique wooden furniture is to conduct research into the style, design and age period you are interested in; learning what is classed as an antique is the first piece of information to discover. In general, pieces over 100 years of age are classed as antique, with those 75 to 99 years of age classed as near antiques. Knowing as much as possible about the designers and furniture makers of a specific period can improve your chances of spotting an antique in any environment. Unlike other antiques, such as jewellery that carry marks coded to show the maker and year of construction most wooden furniture is identified only by the makers decorations and form of construction.
It is always important to make sure you take the time to handle the furniture to make sure you are buying a piece of quality antique furniture. Online sales are becoming more common, but can provide problems with making sure the piece is a genuine antique. Close inspection of a potential purchase is important, hand constructed furniture is easy to spot because the furniture will not be perfectly square in areas such as drawers and the corners of items of furniture. Machine constructed pieces of furniture will not show differences in the joints used in different parts of a piece of furniture; spotting machine constructed furniture can stop the buyer purchasing a fake. Most antiques were created by skilled craftsmen using hand tools to create their furniture pieces; because hand tools were used and artistic interpretation often used by the craftsmen hand carvings do not always match and are not perfectly symmetrical. Plus the invention of machine turned wooden furniture came a little later, so it is a good indication of the age of the piece.
Looking around estate sales and garage sales and talking to the current owners of furniture you are interested in buying can provide important clues about the history and value of a piece. The repair or pieces added to make a piece of furniture complete or more stable can have a negative effect on the value of a piece of furniture.
In general, when shopping for an antique you must consider what you wish to do with the antique; if the buyer falls in love with an antique they have to decide what they feel is a fair price and use that as their budget. Damage and repair are common reasons for a loss of value; doing research into what you wish to buy can protect the antiques buyer from overpaying or buying a fake piece of furniture.
by: Matt Young
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