The Vintage Frame That May Turn Out To Be A Valuable Thrift Store Find

Every frugal thrifter knows that there are plenty of items you can purchase for a better price at a thrift store rather than buying new at a retail store. Besides household goods, there are a lot of decor items that you should never skip buying at the thrift store if you're looking for a great deal. One valuable item you should never overlook is picture frames, specifically vintage gilded frames. While even traditional frames from a retail store can be rather expensive, picture frames from the thrift store can be quite reasonable in price. You might even find a vintage frame that could turn out to be extremely valuable. 

The next time you're browsing the aisles at the thrift store for home decor, you should definitely take a stroll through the framed art section. Many thrift stores will have empty frames for sale in this section, as well as framed art. While many of the art pieces on display might not exactly be to your taste (who is buying velvet clown paintings?), it's worth checking out their frames. You can always repurpose a beautiful vintage gilded frame with a piece of art you do like at a budget price. 

One dead giveaway that you may have found a valuable vintage piece is by the weight of the frame. Modern lookalikes are often made with cheaper materials instead of gilded wood and are significantly lighter. If you've found an ornate frame with gilding that has some heft, depending on the style and age, you may have just found a vintage decor treasure worth quite a bit.

Besides the weight, there are a couple of other methods you can use to determine if you have an authentic antique or vintage gilded frame. True gold leaf, which is what they use in gilding, does not tarnish. If the gilding on the frame you've found looks like it has a patina (brownish or green hue), it is not real gold gilding. You can also check the gilding for lines, which are where the artisan laid down the sheets of gold leaf, where they overlapped slightly. If you spot a yellow or brown clay-like substance under the gilt, you've found bole, which is a substance used to apply gold leaf. This is another great clue to authenticity.

Learning the different styles of woodworking for different eras can also help identify the age of a gilt frame. However, this is not as definitive, as styles tend to repeat over the years. You can instead look at construction. Flip over the frame and check out the features of the back. Is there warping or aging of the wood? Are there wormholes that can indicate age? 

Take a look at the type of hardware used for the construction of the frame and for hanging, too. This will tell you if it is truly vintage. If it has simple hand-cut nails or a basic hook for hanging rather than modern hardware, you might be looking at the real deal. While there are many valuable antique picture frames you can find at the thrift store — an authentic antique or vintage gilded frame can be a treasure of a lifetime. Depending on the size or style, some vintage gilded frames can sell for hundreds, possibly thousands of dollars.