Starting our series of top tips for buying Antiques and Collectables we thought to start with Furniture and how do you know what you are buying.
1. Take time to look over the entire piece. Look for repairs or something that looks out of place (phillips screws...) Sometimes if it does not feel right then it isn't!
2. On a piece of furniture with drawers pull them out and look at the way they have been constructed. Are the joints (dovetails) machine or hand cut? On an old piece they will all be an irregular shape (shape of a dovetail), newer examples will be machine cut and all the same. The drawer liners on an old piece of furniture will be solid. If its plywood then it will be a more modern example.
3. Handles - are they original to the piece of furniture? Open the drawer and look inside to see if holes have been filled - if so then they have been replaced. Wear from another handle will also be visible from the front.
4.Woodworm - people always get scared when they see evidence of woodworm, however this can be rectified. Most DIY stores sell a woodworm treatment that even a novice can use.
5. Antique furniture is not always perfect but if you like it, then most of the time you will get a better piece of furniture, that lasts and will be cheaper than its modern counterparts. After all if it has been around already for hundred years then it will most likely last another hundred!