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The best way to protect yourself from losing money on fake furniture is still your own study and familiarization with the materials, construction styles and the styles of your chosen period. It is also important to get into the nitty-gritty details to be absolutely sure of your purchase.

If your furniture is made of wood, you should expect some shrinkage. If the sides are too perfect, they may not be as old as the dealer claims them to be. Large boards were commonly used because lumber was much more abundant in the old days. As a result, many tables and chests were often made with a single large board and the other parts were cut in awkward shapes to minimize wasted wood. Furniture made out of maple, cherry and pine should be inspected closely. Fake antiques have different wood grains in different parts of the piece because they most likely used different kinds of wood (as lumber is harder to come by these days), hence there will be different grains. If a dealer says that you are buying something made out of old pine, be careful. Many supposedly antique pine furniture pieces have been made out of old pine floorboards. You will get antique wood, but not an antique piece. This principle is applied in all other wooden furniture.

Check the color of the piece. A typical yellow color is noticeable in antique furniture because the wood's patina "glows" with years of polishing. The color should not also be even because carving and groves will be darker than the exposed surfaces. If the wood does not have the patina of age and the dealer claims it is quite old, you are looking at a sure fake.

View the entire piece for balance. If a part looks out of place, it may be a "marriage" of old boards on a newer piece. A "marriage" is a piece made out of separate items and these are always less desirable than an intact piece, so refrain from buying these. When buying furniture with legs, a genuine antique piece should be well crafted to stand sting and proudly while the surrounding wood is expected to shrink a little. Also, feel the piece with your hands. The smoothing plane was not invented yet, so an old board feels very different from a modern, machine-planed one.

Check the dovetail joints on pieces that claim be made earlier than the 19th century. If they are too sleek and clean, they are most likely to be cut by modern tools when they should have been cut by hand. Also, take a close look at the veneers on pieces that date earlier than the 19th century. They should be thicker than machine cut veneers. Remember that all wood was sawn and separated by hand until the late 18th century when the circular saw was invented. If the piece was sawn by hand, it should bear straight or circular saw marks that are quite visible on the wooden surface.

Check the handles. Handles are important in dating a piece, but it is more common to find pieces with replaced handles. Antique handles were cast by hand from a single piece of metal, usually brass. The nuts that attached the handles in the 18th century are irregular and circular. Newer nuts are hexagonal and machine-cut.

Inspect the locks. Antique locks are made of wrought iron that were held in place by iron nails. After the 18th century, locks were made of steel and brass. Steel screws also replaced iron nails.

Check the carving: an original and complete carving on your piece adds to the price and desirability. If your carving was added with other carvings on a later date, the value of the piece is lesser. If your furniture has inlay, your piece can also have a greater value as it gets older.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Antiques