Fakes in the Antique World: Are They Hard to Spot?

Antiques afford us the opportunity to own a piece of history. Some folk's passion for collecting them is fierce. Throughout the years most people acquire a collection or collections of their favorite pieces. Lots of people collect just certain items, thus eventually becoming a bit of an expert in the field. My passion is antique banks. After collecting them for more than 20 years, I can ascertain that depicting an original from a fake isn't always that easy. I've been fooled multiple times throughout the years-far more often years ago than in recent years. Yes, with experience comes the ability to spot a fake-sometimes referred to as a replica. However, even those of us with fairly discerning eyes are occasionally fooled.

What's the most fool proof method of assuring you won't wind up with fakes? That answer is almost too obvious to ask-yet each year hundreds of people kick themselves for having purchased something a dealer* swore was original, only to find a little later on it was a fake. The best way to arm yourself against being fooled is to thoroughly research the items you're interested in collecting. This is done through a variety of methods-the most obvious being familiarizing oneself with the items in question. Libraries and book stores are filled with books on hundreds of different kinds of antiques. These books may not be readily available, however, if you collect something that is a bit out of the ordinary. By doing online research, it's easy to find out if such a book exists. In most cases you can obtain an ISBN number. With this ISBN number, a librarian can check with other libraries through a lending network to see if the book can be sent to your library. With this ISBN number, a bookstore employee can usually special order the book through a distributor.