Collector Guides
Identification, authenticity, value, condition, preservation, legal, estate, and transaction guides.
How to Identify an American Antique
A disciplined workflow for object type, material, construction, marks, region, period, alterations, and provenance.
How to Value an American Antique
Identity, originality, condition, provenance, rarity, desirability, market venue, and matched sold evidence.
Authenticity and Reproduction Guide
How to separate period objects from later revivals, reproductions, fantasy pieces, restorations, and assembled objects.
Maker Mark Research
How to photograph, transcribe, search, compare, and validate labels, brands, stamps, signatures, and retailer marks.
Dating by Construction
Joinery, saw marks, nails, screws, machining, upholstery, glass, surface, and why no single clue supplies a date.
Regional Attribution
How form, woods, construction, decoration, maker networks, ownership, and documentary records support regional claims.
Provenance Guide
Family history, receipts, labels, photographs, inventories, dealer records, auction history, gaps, and responsible wording.
Condition Guide
Original surface, structural integrity, losses, repairs, refinishing, insect damage, stains, fading, and stability.
Patina and Honest Wear
Oxidation, touch wear, grime, fading, shrinkage, surface layers, artificial distressing, and over-cleaning.
Restoration Decisions
Conservation versus cosmetic restoration, reversibility, documentation, specialist work, and effects on evidence and value.
Furniture Inspection Checklist
Case integrity, feet, drawers, backs, hardware, locks, veneer, surface, upholstery, repairs, and marriages.
Ceramics Inspection Checklist
Body, glaze, rim, foot, handles, hairlines, restoration, decoration, marks, drilling, and ultraviolet examination.
Silver Inspection Checklist
Weight, marks, seams, solder, engraving, monograms, dents, repairs, weighted elements, and composite pieces.
Textile Inspection Checklist
Fiber, weave, stitch, dyes, backing, batting, fading, insect damage, repairs, stains, and dimensions.
Glass Inspection Checklist
Mold, pontil, rim, base, polish, cracks, bruises, chips, sickness, color, cutting, and reproduction clues.
Paper and Document Inspection
Paper type, watermark, ink, print process, trimming, backing, repairs, foxing, signatures, seals, and provenance.
Inherited and Estate Collections
Triage, grouping, labels, names, photographs, records, safety, specialists, appraisals, and avoiding premature disposal.
Buying American Antiques Online
Photograph requirements, measurements, construction questions, alteration disclosure, shipping, returns, and price evidence.
Selling American Antiques
Identification, honest descriptions, complete photography, measurements, restoration disclosure, venue choice, and packing.
Auction Guide
Catalog language, condition reports, estimates, buyer premiums, absentee bidding, reserves, pickup, and post-sale records.
Photographing Antiques
Overall views, scale, marks, construction, surfaces, damage, color control, raking light, ultraviolet limits, and filenames.
Cataloging a Collection
Accession numbers, object names, measurements, materials, marks, provenance, condition, photos, location, and updates.
Storage and Display
Light, temperature, humidity, support, dust, pests, handling, mounts, hanging, shelving, and emergency planning.
Packing and Shipping
Object-specific packing, immobilization, double boxing, crating, declared value, insurance, photographs, and receiving.
Appraisals and Expert Help
When to use an appraiser, conservator, museum, auction specialist, attorney, insurer, or scientific analysis.
Legal and Ethical Collecting
Cultural property, archaeological material, protected species, ivory, firearms, military material, human remains, and documentation.
Hidden Hazards in Antiques
Lead, arsenic, mercury, radium, uranium glass, mold, pesticides, celluloid, unstable finishes, and child safety.
Insuring a Collection
Inventory, photographs, appraisals, schedules, deductibles, exclusions, transit, storage, claims, and regular updates.