Identification of art pieces, antique figurines, antique furniture, reproductions, antiques and collectibles

Collectors of Fine art prints, antique figurines, antique furniture, rugs, chinaware, and antique furniture reproduction go any lengths to obtain them. These people have to get over a few hurdles of fakes, reprints and scams. Remember that like in any business, there are always reprints, counterfeits, fakes and scams in the field of antique dealings too. This would give you a confidence to counter the seller’s convenience.

If you are planning to join the ranks of these people as collectors of antique furniture reproduction you might have to remember the following points:

• Scammers can not fool the knowledgeable: they will take you on a long ride if you let them make a quick buck from your ignorance. The joy of owning antique furniture reproduction starts with knowing about the stuff you want to own.
• Do not get taken away by the thought that expensive antique furniture reproductions are genuine: Quote one tenth of the tag price as your final offer. If he agrees to it may probably be a fake.
• Confer for second opinions and expert advice on Fine art prints, antique figurines, antique furniture, rugs, chinaware, and antique furniture reproduction: An opinion from an expert or a friend who is a collector himself.
• Start small by buying inexpensive items from gift shops: This gives you a feel of fakes and reproductions for a $10 rather than losing $1,000 fake Fine art prints, antique figurines, antique furniture, rugs, chinaware, and antique furniture reproduction
• Get to know good sellers: Acquaint with a few antique sellers. They will be too happy to share their knowledge about the genuine antiques, about their authenticity guarantee and return policy of Fine art prints, antique figurines, antique furniture, rugs, chinaware, and antique furniture reproduction
• Get online for good sellers with strong reputations and antique information on Fine art prints, antique figurines, antique furniture, rugs, chinaware, and antique furniture reproduction
• Also look at the color, physical nature, style, visible stamps, provenance of Fine art prints, antique figurines, antique furniture, rugs, chinaware, and antique furniture reproduction

Black light is a useful tool in judging the identity and age of Fine art prints, antique figurines, antique furniture, rugs, chinaware, and antique furniture reproduction. Black light is a form of ultraviolet light. Ultraviolet (UV) light is a range of light invisible to human eyes. While it cannot be seen, UV light is useful to humans in a wide range of areas.

• Glass of different types and ages of can fluoresce in Black light
• Black light creates different colors and the color of fluorescence are used in identification of the authenticity of the antiquity of Fine art prints, antique figurines, antique furniture, rugs, chinaware, and antique furniture reproduction item

Identifying modern reprints and forgeries of antique documents and other paper ephemera with black light

Many people buy a black light specifically for this purpose. A black light can identify many Fine art prints, antique figurines, antique furniture, rugs, chinaware, and antique furniture reproduction and other paper items that contain optical brighteners. In a dark room and under black light optical brighteners will usually fluoresce a very bright light blue or bright white.

Starting in the late 1940s, manufacturers of many products began adding optical brighteners and other new chemicals to their products. Optical brighteners are invisible dyes that fluoresce brightly under ultraviolet light.

They were used to make products appear brighter in normal daylight with the ultraviolet light in it.

Optical brighteners were added to

• Laundry detergent and clothes to help drown out stains and to give the often advertised to plastic toys to makes them brighter and more colorful.
• To almost all of their white papers stocks

Historical documents

White paper is treated with fluorescent compounds to help it appear brighter and whiter. Sometimes forgery of historical documents can be detected by placing them under a black light for fluorescence. White paper made post-1950 contains fluorescent chemicals while older paper doesn’t.

If a paper object fluoresces very brightly, it is modern. Black light is helpful in identifying many types of restoration and alteration to Fine art prints, antique figurines, antique furniture, rugs, chinaware, and antique furniture reproduction

• Fine art prints, antique figurines, antique furniture, rugs, chinaware, and antique furniture reproduction altered by the addition of paper, glue, paint, varnish and/or other material that fluoresces differently from the rest of the item, and gives away that the item is restored and can be identified under black light
• To identify alterations to Fine art prints, antique figurines, antique furniture, rugs, chinaware, and antique furniture reproductions one should also look for differences in texture, gloss, and opacity. When an art print is put at an angle nearing 180 degrees to a light, the added paint, ink or paper will often have a different texture and gloss from the rest of the card surface. The added material also may be physically raised from the rest of the surface and you will feel the relief with your finger tip

OldPlank.com offers incredible collection of Antique French Furniture, Vintage French Furniture, Country French Furniture Reproductions, Antiques and Collectibles imported from France and England. Antiques on Old Plank Road, 331 East Ogden Avenue, Westmont, IL 60559.

Antique Secretary Desks /writing desks have their origin in the 17th century as small traveling desks. After that they started appearing in various sizes and styles. In 1750, British furniture designer Thomas Chippendale designed some remarkable secretary desks that reflected the influence of the Gothic style. Victorian antique writing desks are very popular and among the most sought-after of antique writing desks especially if signed by the maker. Antique writing desks and antique secretary desks are a popular choice among writers for the convenience they afford and the visual appeal. Roll top desks were popular in the 19th century due to the privacy they afforded and the fact that the top could be locked

Attributes of Antique Secretary Desks and Antique Writing Desks

• Drawers, bookshelves and small writing surfaces, a boon for a room with limited floor space
• Flip down writing surface affords privacy
• Multi-purpose, space-saving, and fashionable addition to your home
• Great for a small office, guest bedroom, or as an accent piece in an entranceway or front hall
• Constructed by craftsmen with high quality material

Uses of Antique Secretary and Antique Writing Desks:

• Smaller antique writing desks are good accent pieces
• Larger antique writing desks with cubbyholes are useful for organizing mail and documents
• Antique secretary and antique writing desks with compartments and doors function as hutches and buffets
• Some antique writing desks are small enough for writers who prefer to lounge while writing
• Casters on the ends of the legs of antique writing desks allow easy moving

Choose an Antique Secretary Desk or Antique Writing Desk based on the following:

• Decor of the home: Make sure the finish or stain of the writing desk blends with the other furniture already in the room
• Available space: Though antique secretary desks have a small footprint they sometimes have tall upper-half bookcases
• The presence of genuine veneers and inlays: Antique secretary desks are characterized by hand-carved ornamentation, mother-of-pearl inlays, veneers, and hand-blown wavy glass doors
• Origin: Knowing the provenance of antique secretary desks enhances the value
• Preferred style: Many styles of writing desks are available - traditional Jacobean, William and Mary, Queen Anne, Chippendale, Henri II, Louis XV, Louis XVI
• Budget: Quality reproduction pieces are available which are usually less expensive than authentic antique secretary desks and antique writing desks

Visit www.oldplank.com to see a variety of desks including a reproduction English style burled elm secretary desks with two glazed astragal doors and four drawers.

• Utility: Antique secretary desks with crisp straight lines are good as children’s study hutches
• Use: A large antique secretary desk for an office, a smaller antique secretary desk for writing letters or notes
• Value: An antique secretary desk dating from the fifteenth to the eighteenth century is usually a good investment
• Work-surface mechanism: Antique secretary desks offer hidden writing surfaces that flip open or slide out on supports
• Stability: It is an important safety consideration because sometimes secretary desks can be top-heavy in which case they can be anchored to the wall

Visit www.oldplank.com to buy Antique Secretary Desks, Vintage Secretary Desks, Antique Writing Desks, Vintage Writing Desks, Antique Writing Tables, and Vintage Writing Tables imported from France & England.

The appearance of a dining room can be greatly enhanced by the right choice of dining table and chairs particularly antique accent furniture. You can choose from antique hutches, antique consoles, antique buffets, antique dressers, antique corner cabinets, antique storage cabinets, antique sideboards, antique pediments, antique vaisseliers, antique meubles, antique armoires, antique placards or antique cabinets. Whatever you choose, the intention is to add style and convenience to your home and in this case, the dining area. While a large and elaborate dining room hutch adds grace to the large, formal room, a smaller hutch would work in a smaller dining area and give the dining experience a more relaxed and informal ambiance.

Vintage French Petite Buffet

Serpentine Louis XV Server

A hutch is an indispensible item for a dining room. In addition to a hutch, a server, corner cabinets, a set of cabinets or cupboards or a sideboard are also items of furniture traditionally used in the dining room. Other useful items include a set of cabinets or cupboards with one or more drawers and flat display surface to hold food, serving dishes, and decorative lamps, these surfaces usually stand as tall as three feet. The earliest versions of the sideboard/buffet appeared in the 18th century and never stopped gaining in popularity. These were made in many decorative styles and were frequently ornamented with sleek veneers and inlays.

Exquisite One of a Kind Eglomise Console

In modern houses, sideboards have been placed in living rooms, children’s rooms as a study table with a folding work board and guest rooms. An antique English, French, Belgian or Scottish sideboard, hutch, server or corner cabinet is a fashionable accessory. Finely styled antique hutches, antique buffets, antique dressers, antique corner cabinets, antique storage cabinets, antique sideboards, antique pediments, antique vaisseliers, antique meubles, antique armoires, antique placards or simply antique cabinets from the late 18th or early 19th centuries are the most sought after. They are usually made from oak, white oak, beech, Irish pine, walnut, cherry, mahogany or reclaimed wood and can be topped with marble and have mirrors.

Antique Napoleon III MOP Marquetry Buffet

Bookcase with Antique Pediment

A Dining Room Hutch:

• Showcases your crockery, cutlery sets, crystal, glasses and goblets
• Displays your fine chinaware, tableware, silverware
• Protects your china and sliver from dust, dirt, breakage and damage
• Provides storage for dining room linens in the built-in cabinets and drawers
• Offers a useful buffet counter top for the salads, cakes, pastries, drinks, plates, cutlery or glasses
• Complements your dining table and chairs

Antique Walnut Hutch

Antique Walnut Hutch

Select your antique hutch for its visual appeal, the right size for your dining area, its practical application and of course your budget. Click www.oldplank.com for help in choosing the right piece for your dining room from the selection of antique hutches, antique buffets, antique dressers, antique corner cabinets, antique storage cabinets, antique sideboards, antique pediments, antique vaisseliers, antique meubles, antique armoires, antique consoles, antique placards or antique cabinets. You will find just right piece for your dining area and your taste.