How to Spot a Fake Wood Antique Carving

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Those with an ardent passion for history and / or antiques are always easily lured towards antiques shopping. Unfortunately there are the occasional fake antiques on the market which are not as easy to spot. When buying antique oak furniture and other period antiques you need to be very careful to acquire the genuine articles and not fall foul to a fake antique. Even though it is no easy task to spot fake antiques, there are a few pointers that might help you in identifying the real antiques from the fake.
 
In respect of the 15th century English carved oak angel roof bosses shown in the picture these are a few handy pointers:
 
- Good original patina, whether dark or light in colour, a true patina from centuries of polishing is hard to fake. Beware of pieces that are over polished to a too high a gloss. Some restorers tend to over polish a piece and therefore it devalues the piece.
 
- The type of wood used is one of the basic things you should look out for. The early 15th century saw oak being predominantly used for creating items.
- Antique carvings most often have a smooth finish. They do not have the rustic look or the marks of the chisel on them.
- You should ideally check out for certain features such as the length of hair, shape of eyes etc of the figurines as these will give you a hint as to the authenticity of the item in question.
- Antique items ‘do not’ smell new. So if you find the smallest hint of spirits or smoke it should be an indicator that the piece might be fake.
- No matter how carefully an antique has been handled, there are always a few lines of wear and tear evident. Even if the surface has been recently applied or worn down the value changes. Knocks and scratches are all part of its history and only enhance a piece.
 
- You should always look for originality because the more original the piece is, the more valuable it will remain.
 
Consider these few aspects and you will hopefully not land up falling prey to fake items. If you wish to test your knowledge of antiques for yourselves check out the link below.
 
The BBC Antiques Roadshow features a test where you will be provided with three originals and one fake. See for yourselves if you can spot the not.
 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006mj2y/features/r-g
 
At Period Oak Antiques we are very careful in our selection of antiques. So you can rest assured that your investment in antiques is safe when you buy from us. We assure you that you will not find any of OUR items featuring as an example of a fake on the BBC Antiques Roadshow!