The first thing we need to know is what the definition of seniority is. An antique is something that is over a hundred years old. People claim that a product is an antique all the time when it is not. If you buy something at a flea market or garage sale and someone says it’s an antique, how do you know if it is or not? How do we protect ourselves from fraud? The answer to our question is to be connoisseur of antiques.
Real antiques are imperfect, and the flaws are inconsistent. The reproductions are smooth and the flaws have been intentionally planted. There are several ways to spot an antique. First, you need to check the joinery. Joinery is the method used to join wood. You can tell if a machine did it. There were no machines until the 1860s. Another way to determine age status is to check the marks on the saw. Round marks were not made until the 1860s. Before that time in history, a planer and razor were used to generate straight lines.
Boards that split at the seams instead of being flat and smooth is another sign that it’s an antique. Another strong sign is if there are dark marks on the piece, which means it was wet (perhaps from a plant). Look for nicks and dents in the corners, and even wormholes. Just make sure the holes haven’t been drilled. Make sure the hardware differs slightly from the others. A new part would be all the same. Pull out the drawers and inspect the bottom and sides. An antique would have irregular dovetail joints, a new one would have perfect ones. Dovetail joints join a drawer with interlocking pieces of wood.
Single slotted screws are another sign of age. The drawer runner would show a lot of wear from many years of opening and closing. You may also tell from the smell of the product that an antique smells musty and sometimes even moldy. Usually a square nail and wormholes together show it’s an antique. Under a chair, if there is wood that is different from the rest, it is probably old. Wood was so scarce that they saw no need to use the expensive material when it could not be seen. In the seating area, the padding was made with horsehair or hay. The use of modern products such as fiberboard, staples and Phillips screws show a reproduction.
An antique that has not been restored is more expensive than one that has been. To find out if it has been refinished, look below for any drips and runs.