How to Be Absolutely Certain You’ll Never Get Taken in by a Phony Antique
Having been taken in by a phony antique is something that has probably happened to every appraiser or dealer. Faking an antique is big business these days; as a matter of fact, some designers do it on purpose because they have clients and buyers that like the look of antiques but don’t want to pay the price for them. “Distressing” furniture is a common occurrence for many household items.
But when talking about phony antiques, we don’t mean those that are made to look old simply because a customer likes the look. We’re talking about actually passing something off as a valuable antique when it’s really not, costing dealers and appraisers hundreds if not thousands of dollars.
Many that are new to the world of antiques want to know how they can be sure that this will never happen to them. What guarantee can they have, what formula can they follow, what magic little clue will tell them that they’re getting the real thing?
The sad news is that no such guarantee, formula, or clue exists. There is just no way to be absolutely certain every single time you’re out shopping that you’re getting the “real deal.”
This doesn’t mean that someone should shy away from the business of antiques. There are risks involved with any business - investing is a risk, manufacturing is a risk, salespeople take risks. The key is to learn as much as possible about any area of antiquing that you’re interested in so that you can minimize that risk as much as possible.
This mean reading about certain items and its trademarks or characteristics, but it also means learning about common fakes and phonies as well. Just like there are common internet scams, there are common antique scams as well. When you study what those common scams, fakes, and phony items are then you’re better prepared to walk away when you come across one.
Risk is part of any business; as a matter of fact, it’s a part of life. We all wish we could get a guarantee for everything we do, but that’s just not possible. However, there’s no reason to let that risk take away from your enjoyment of this fun, exciting, and very lucrative business.
