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Look For This Warning Sign To Identify Inauthentic Antique Furniture
By KRISTY BOWEN
Verifying whether or not your antique is the real thing isn’t easy, but looking for specific details in construction and materials can help identify authentic antiques from fakes.
One of the surest and easiest ways to determine the authenticity of your antique piece is to inspect the joints and where various elements come together.
Dovetailing, for example, is how a table's joints or drawer interiors fit together. Pieces with irregular patterns indicate they were made prior to the late 19th century.
Because antique pieces were handmade by artisans, they would be subject to variations in shape in size that machines eventually eliminated.
Look for these variations, as well as methods of earlier construction mortise and tenon joints that involve slots and wooden pegs or tabs that fit securely together.