Free Antique Identification

From LoveToKnow Antiques

Knowing where to find free antique identification help often sheds light on mysterious looking objects found at flea markets or beautiful heirlooms handed down from past generations.

Identify the Broad Category of the Antique

From a novice collector to a seasoned dealer, at one time or another almost everyone involved with antiques comes across an item they are unable to identify. For most of us taking our unidentified treasure to the Antiques Road Show is not an option. However, there are many other free resources for identifying many types of antiques.

The first step to finding out the identification of your unknown piece is to determine the general category it fits into. This step is often simple as most objects are easy to classify. However, general classification may be difficult in certain instances. For example, antique cherry pitters and oyster shuckers are often thought to be old tools or pieces of farm equipment rather than antique kitchen gadgets.

If you are trying to identify a piece of furniture, the first step is to determine the era or time period of the item.

Free Antique Identification Resources

There are free resources, both offline and online, to use to help identify many kinds of antiques.

Offline Resources

  • Take your piece to local antique dealers and auctioneers to see if any of them are able to identify it for you. If the item is large, take pictures to bring with you.
  • If there is an antique show in the area, take the item there. In addition to the dealers that may be able to help, there is often an antique appraiser at the event offering free appraisals. The antique appraiser may be able to help with identifying your antique.
  • Many accredited antique appraisers offer free verbal identification and appraisal services. In the New York area, TW Conroy provides these services, as well as free identification and appraisal by email.
  • Visit your local library or bookstore and look for antique price and identification guides that are relevant to the type of piece you are trying to identify.

Online Resources

Identifying an Antique Using Patterns, Backstamps or Marks

If the antique you are trying to identify has a maker’s mark, a backstamp or a pattern, the following resources may be helpful.

  • T.S. Restoration provides a collection of links to websites with patterns, marks and other valuable information to use in identifying antiques.
  • My Granny’s Attic provides a comprehensive collection of marks and backstamps for pottery, porcelain and china.
  • Depression Glass provides an excellent compilation of Depression glass patterns. This website also includes patterns of the following glassware:
    • Elegant glassware
    • Collectible Glass from the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s
    • Fire King
    • Kitchen Glassware
    • Miniatures
  • A comprehensive guide the Online Encyclopedia of Silver Marks, Hallmarks and Maker’s Marks provides thousands of marks for antique identification.
  • Several websites with useful information for identifying antique furniture styles, era or manufactures include:
  • Antiquing Online provides a list of antique and collectible costume jewelry designers and ways to identify their jewelry.

The next time you find yourself wondering what that garage sale antique treasure actually is, using different methods of free antique identification may solve the mystery.

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Comments

Tessa, if you can find a museum that has that type of carving you may be able to find out something from them. Good luck.

-- Contributed by: Marye Audet

is there somewhere i can send a picture of an unusual carving i have for advice on what it is? thanks tessa

-- Contributed by: tessa

Sounds fascinating! You should take it to a local appraiser who may be able to identify it for you. Good luck.

-- Contributed by: Marye Audet
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