It is rarely simple to determine whether your old furniture is valuable. Whether you’re sorting through Grandma’s attic, considering selling your heirloom living room set, or simply reevaluating your old chair after observing Antiques Roadshow, nearly everybody who owns antique furniture has had this question at some point. Or even if you are the one looking for antique furniture for your newly renovated space, you would surely want to know the ways through which you can identify if the furniture is actually antique or not.
The value of an antique piece of furniture is determined by a variety of factors. Even if your dresser did belong to your mother, it might not be rare or in good enough condition to command a high price. On the other hand, you could be holding a rare antique by a well-known creator.
How To Know If Furniture Is Antique?
Examine the Vintage Furniture Quality
Older furniture is much more likely to be well-crafted than new furniture. People complain that “they really don’t make them like that anymore though” for a reason: past manufacturers frequently prioritised quality over fast production. Furthermore, low-quality furniture is less likely to have withstood the test of time.
Consider the layout of the furniture. Do you have any idea what kind of wood it’s made of? Are there any marble pieces or ornate hand engravings? These elements may boost the value of your vintage furniture.
Antiques include multiple wood types
True antique furniture is unlikely to be made with the same kind of carved wood furniture pieces throughout. It did not make sense years ago to use precious wood in places where nobody would see it. Look for various wood types on the bottoms of chairs and drawers. If it matches the rest of the piece, it’s most likely a reproduction.
Conduct an extensive search for labels or stamps
When it tends to come to antique furniture, numbers and letters are your great buddies. Look for labels, stamps, or manufacturing labels that can tell you when and where an item was made. Furniture manufacturers and designers frequently listed their names, locations, and the year of production. This information is located on the insides of drawers, the backs of bureaus, as well as the lower edges of pieces. Labels can be falsified, so look for signs of wear and tear.
Look out for the imperfections
Perfect symmetry in home furnishings is a dead giveaway that it was made by a machine. Handmade Vintage furniture, on the contrary hand, does not have uniform construction—even minor variations in size and shape reveal this. Furthermore, carved details show that the work was done by hand. Irregularity is beneficial.
Think About the Scarcity of Your Vintage Furniture
Rare vintage furniture is among the most valuable. Consider whether the furniture is of a unique size, shape, or was created for a specific purpose. A one-of-a-kind carving motif, uncommon glass colour, or otherwise unusual design may raise the value of the furniture.
Likewise, a piece of furniture crafted by a well-known manufacturer who produced only a limited number of pieces within the style is surely worth it. Consider whether comparable furniture pieces are still made today. If modern manufacturers are not producing comparable items, the rarity factor of your furniture increases.
Final Thoughts
It is never too tough to identify the worth and uniqueness of the vintage furniture you have been looking for. Now that you are all sorted to grab the breathtaking beauty of the antique wooden furniture, make sure you do not miss the amazing range of antiques from Purana darwaza.