references for antiques

[pantrwrstl]

Can anyone reccomend any good books, webpages, etc that I could look over to get a better understanding of antiques or their origins. I am not looking for any field specific, just general ideas of what to look for. I often frequent estate sales, auctions, garage sales and swap meets, and other than liking something that catches my eye or looks old, I usually don't have a clue as to what to look for. I'm fairly young for this business, and would like to get a head start with my general research, so I'm hoping to avoid responses along the lines of 'I've been doing this for 30 years, so thats how I know'. Thanks in advance for your help!

[frogpatch]

There is no substitute for experience. You can take lots of books out of the library and hang out in Barnes and Noble but if you visit shows and auctions and make friends you will learn a lot more. When I started out I became very educated in items that were only in books and museums. When a bargain was under my nose I would not recognize it. Ruby Lane is a good site to learn on line because it is made up of mostly knowledgeable dealers. The problem is learning to tell old from new and fake from real. Pictures do not help much. Buy what you like and buy low. Then upgrade as you go along.

[mart]

Like Frogpatch said,, hands on and time is what helps most !!  I would suggest that you decide where your main area of interest is,, then we can point you in the right direction !! Other than saying whatever you are considering buying,, before anything else, look carefully at the condition it is in !! Even a rare plate, bowl, cup ect is worth little if its chipped up !!  So take your time and use your hands and eyes !! And hang around here a lot !! We are happy to answer questions !! One more thing,, don`t believe anything you are told about an item you are considering purchasing until your own research tells you the same thing !! And that doesn`t happen often !!

[pantrwrstl]

ok, I guess to start, I became slightly interested in glass and pottery.

1. Pottery
At one of the last auctions I attended, I saw several pieces of pottery, to which I wouldn't normally have given a second look, go for 100$+. Many of these items were Roseville items, which after looking is fairly collectible. So with pottery, am I looking for specific designs, colors, shapes? What other name brands should I be looking for that carry a higher collectible value than others?

2. Stoneware
My friend turned me onto this, and I have seen several pieces go for fairly cheap at one of my local auctions. Again after looking around online I've seen some pieces go for crazy amounts, including one for almost 40k. I understand the age and the design are big factors in this, especially the use of the cobalt blue painted designs. Is there a sure-fire way of telling the valuable one from the non so valuable ones? How easy are the fakes and replicas to spot, more or less along the lines of the blue paint? Are there certain designers or areas of the country that are rarer than others? Any other info I should be aware of when looking at these?

3. Glass
I see depression glass at every estate sale and auction I go to. Again with the generic questions: what designs, colors, shapes, specific pieces are valuable and which are worthless? I assume full sets hold a premium over individual pieces. I've seen the websites that describe the different patterns, but don't know which ones hold more value than others. Are there other pieces of glassware I may be unaware of that tend to hold a higher value than others that may slip under the radar? Anything else I should know about any kind of glass that your everyday beginner doesn't know and should?

With all these categories I know condition is key, so assume that any of the pieces are in mint condition. However, are there items that hold value, even in a chipped or flawed condition?

Thats a start, I tend to buy furniture a lot too, so any websites or anything about different styles would probably be good to know too if there is a basic 101 on that. Thanks again for the responses!

[frogpatch]

Glass collectors are unforgiving when it comes to chips whereas stoneware collectors will accept a little roughness more often. Like Mart said though condition is paramount in most cases. Old does not always mean good and later does not mean less. Pieces from the 1950s can be more valuable than pieces from the 1850s in some cases. Depression glass is valued by the scarcity of pattern, piece, color and condition. Thar is where price guides come in handy. Eventually you will develop a gut that will usually be correct. If you see something really unusual and the price is cheap take a chance. One of my best finds ever were two Japanese modern prints that were over looked by dealers on a wall in an estate sale. They were different so I bought them for 5 dollars each. They sold for over 200.00 each on Ebay. I knew nothing about them but my gut told me they were special. They were actually father and son Yamaguchi prints.

[Rauville]

I don't know your location, but if possible you could start by attending some quality antique shows. It's well worth the price of admission to actually see what's being offered for sale by hopefully knowledgeable dealers. To be able to touch and visit about a piece of pottery, stoneware, or glass makes for a much more interesting education than trying to mentally visualize something.
Good Luck!

[KC]

Great advice given!  You can learn a little bit about alot on here.  But wise words in that you should learn alot about a little bit of the antique/vintage area.

Even then, you can't even fathom the amount of glassware and pottery out there to learn about. 

It's a big historical adventure.  Take your time and have lots of fun along the way!

[mart]

http://www.suziemax.com/Glass-Identification.html    I have several sites that I keep on my desktop for quick reference !!  This is a pretty good one for Depression era glass !!  At the bottom of the home page there are many already asked and answered questions that may help since you can see what is being asked about and read why or why not it is correct !!  I think they also have EAPG (early american pressed glass) and elegant glassware (also depression era and after) There is also an identification guide as well as general descriptions of Depression glass !!
This should keep you busy a day or two !! You will never know it all !! Main thing I ask myself when looking ant any type of glassware,pottery or stoneware is,,is the wear I am seeing consistant with the use this piece would have had?
I suggest that unless your eyesight is better than perfect to invest $5.00 in a pair of magnifying glasses !! You will be surprised at what they will show !! Also helps find tiny hairline cracks that blend into the patterns on some items !! I have a few other sites for reference on other things that I will post for you later !!

[Chris_Marshall]

pantrwrstl,

Here are a few links on basics:

Short recap on a few vital historic cornerstones:
http://www.porcelainmarksandmore.com/resources/historical.php

Short recap on British Registration Marks (as many non-British items can also have these):
http://www.porcelainmarksandmore.com/resources/registration.php

Watch out for reproductions in all areas as they are pretty common! Avoid the term 'fakes' here, see this short essay on why many repros and fakes are in fact completely legal:
http://www.porcelainmarksandmore.com/resources/essay_fake.php

In that context (or as standalone matter, actually), look out for misrepresented marks. My site presents quite a lot of these for reference:
http://www.porcelainmarksandmore.com/resources/fake_n_repro/00.php

My site concentrates on German manufacturers, their history and marks, but everything above is valid for all areas of interest.

[mart]

Darn Chris !! I was going to give her your site next !! You beat me to it !!  It is excellent !!

[frogpatch]

I wish I got this much advice when I started out. I wish there were computers when I started out. Yes, we had TV but no Roadshow.

Great advice from everyone here. Very nice folks y'all.

[KC]

In fact, frogpatch, I would say that our TV's have been inquired about on here and referred to as "antiques"!  LOL

Thanks for putting your site information Chris!  Was going to list that as being the top notch site for German marks!!! 

[fancypants]

Lots of good opinions posted here !

I guess I'm on the bandwagon for making investments , according to the hope of the investor (esp. the investment in gettin' getting hip to what's what , in general terms) .
Being able to budget time is awful important , esp in the early learning phases of the 'biz' .

Sometimes being a collector has less pitfalls , v/s an antiquities/antique dealer , so there's that too .

It used to be very important to have a good & honest 'reputation' as an antique dealer (so I'd recommend that path v/s the 'other' one) .... often this can mean getting & giving fair-market value for items one might feel more willing to get more $$$$ for , compared to a skinning-party , that is .

Dough can be slow in many specific catagories/reigons & etc. with the "Used Old Stuff" business , so patience can be a must , sometimes @ $ times when it'd be better not to ...

I never rule out just 'showing up' & plain 'ole dumb luck , having had both of these return surprises !

I say be friendly in a genuine (if not odd) manner & remain realistic !