Any item that is more than 100 years old and is still in good working condition is known as an antique. As the number of antique collectors is increasing every year, the demand for the antiques is also growing and it is emerging out as a big business in the market these days.
Generally, antiques are sold by two types of people, dealers and collectors. Collectors are people who collects antiques. They sell antiques if they have excess antique pieces or if that antique does not interest her/him anymore. There is no danger with such people, as they are collectors and they mostly collect genuine antiques and sell you the same.
But, it is necessary to be alert while buying an antique from a dealer. A dealer is a businessman who always looks for making profits. There are chances that they make you buy duplicate or fake antiques by presenting them as genuine ones. It does not mean that all dealers are the same, there are many trustworthy antique dealers who help you get genuine antiques in your antique collection. This article tries to help you have some basic knowledge of identifying fake antiques in various categories like furniture, pottery, toys and metal signs.
Furniture
Antique furniture is used and it should not look new. If it looks brand new, it is not an antique. There should be clear signs of its use and the places with more contact is easy to identify because of its discoloration. Furniture like wardrobes and drawers have their handles and doors old and the paint or coating on it is gone. There should be some scratches, dents etc on the antique furniture.
Pottery
There is grease or dust spread on the pottery and indicates that it is used if it is a genuine antique. There is darkness around the edges of pottery to indicate that it is an antique. Cracks due to its age can also be observed on antique pottery.
Fake antique pots are made to look old by greasing and marking artificial darkness around its edges. But the color of the pot will be fresh in case of a fake one.
If it is still confusing you, then the easiest way of identifying the fake antique is to take an old pot and compare with it.
Toys
Toys can be faked easily. Antique toys look very old and shows the signs of using it since years. Fake toys look new and can be identified easily. Though the fake piece is made to look used, the oldness of genuine antique is different from that created.
Metal signs
Fake metal signs look bright. Old or antique metal frames or signs are old and discolored. Though they are well preserved and restored genuine antiques are not as shiny as the fake ones.
Unscrupulous dealers produce fake antiques and try to make them look old and try to present them to collectors as genuine antique. An expert or experienced collector can spot the fake antiques easily. So, whenever you are not clear or unable to decide whether the antique is genuine or fake, take an advice of them.