The history of the Royal Doulton brand is a long and complex one. That consists of subsidiaries, mergers, collaborations and limited releases. This can make finding the age of a Royal Doulton piece difficult to determine. In this article we will be providing you with some helpful tips for working out the age of your Royal Doulton piece, by comparing the Royal Doulton marks, trademarks, base marks, and pattern codes. … [Read more...]
Antique Joints and Joinery Techniques
Ever since we first started to build structures and objects out of multiple pieces of wood, we have had to find innovative ways of binding the pieces together. Enter joinery - various joining methods that utilize shapes, wedges, and bindings to apply enough force/pressure to hold two or more different pieces of wood together. Skilled carpenters of old were able to craft beautiful structures and objects all by hand. Many of these carpenters were skilled enough to even be able to create works of … [Read more...]
How to Tell If Your Rocking Chair is An Antique
One of the best ways to determine if your rocking chair is an antique, a reproduction or a replica. Is to not just looking at its design, but to also by look at the materials it is made from, and the techniques used in its construction. This approach can be used to determine the age of many types of furniture. … [Read more...]
Wedgwood Markings
Josiah Wedgwood was a famous manufacturer of porcelain and earthenware. While many of his earlier works prior to 1781 may be unmarked, Josiah was the first potter of note to mark his wares with his own name, at a time when other potters were using easily forged marks such as the Sevres double L mark, the Meissen crossed swords mark, or the Chelsea Potteries anchor Mark. The Wedgwood marks have gone through several iterations over the years, as the company struck up partnership deals, … [Read more...]
7 Common Mistakes First Time Collectors Make
When collecting there are some important things that you always need to remember no matter if you are a first time collector or a well seasoned collector. I will cover these things in this article. Common Mistakes a First Time Collector Makes 1: Your Not Prepared - Being prepared is one of the most important things you need to do as a collector. The following is a quick list of ways to prepare before you start collecting. Do some research on the items you are going to collect. Doing some … [Read more...]
Goebel Hummel Figurines Complete Buying Guide
Goebel Hummel figurines have been a favorite amongst collectors for many years. This figurines usually depict children doing various activities. Hummels are earthenware figures that are hand painted with warm color pallets. Common Places You Can Find Goebel Hummel Figurines. You can find Hummels for sale in a variety of places. Here is a list of some of the more common places to find Hummels for sale. Auction Estate Sales Yard Sales Antiques Stores eBay Ruby Lane Various … [Read more...]
Hummel Number Questions Answered
Hummel Number Questions I get a lot of questions around the different numbers on the bottom of Hummel figurines. Can you tell me what the Hummel number (Hum number) is? There is a hand painted number on the bottom of my Hummel can you tell me what this means? Can you tell me what the etched number means? Which number do I use to identify my Hummel? In this article I will answer these questions. Hummel Number Answers Hummel number (HUM Num) - This is an etched 1 to 4 digit number on … [Read more...]
How to Understand Common Record Grading and Notations
There are many factors in the price of a record as I explaind in "Things you Need to Know When Buying and Selling Vinyl Records/Phonographs". One of the major factors in the value and/or loss of value of a record/phonograph is damage or defects. In this article I will cover some of the common record notations (Also know as the short-hand notation system). This is used by many collectors, dealers, and auction houses to describe the condition, special notations or damage of … [Read more...]
Seven Tips to Make You a Better Antique Hunter
Antique hunting can be fun and exciting. Spending a nice cool day digging through the local antique stores new stock, trying to fidn that piece you have been looking for. The feeling you get when you finally find that piece is like no other. I have put together a list of tips that will help you to become a better antique hunter. 1. Knowledge - I can not stress this enough. Doing your research and knowing what you are looking for is the most important thing when it comes … [Read more...]
7 Antique Questions You Need to Know the Answer to
As a Personal Property Appraiser I get asked many questions about antiques. In this article I have answered 7 of the most commonly asked questions. These questions come up at almost every appraisal I have done.  How old does an item have to be to be an antique? There is a great debate about how old an item has to be to be considered an antique. The standard is 100 or more years. There are some antique dealers out there that like to say 50 years. This is so they can sell more items as antiques … [Read more...]
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