As precious metals can have high monetary value, this is an area where getting a educated second opinion can be a good idea for a beginner. A jeweler or avid collector can identify and grade the metal for you. However, the avid collector can make a fair judgment about type and quality of previous metal. … Continue reading Identifying Precious Metals: gold, silver and platinum

The following is an identification guide to several standard types of stone used in sculptures, carving, building construction and similar. The types covered are marble, granite, sandstone, limestone, alabaster and soapstone. *** Marble Marble is a  high end stone used to make everything from Michelangelo sculptures to mansion steps and walls for mansions. Marble is … Continue reading Identifying Stone in Sculpture and Construction: marble, granite, sandstone, limestone, alabaster and soapstone.

Choice examples of pearls are scarce and highly valued as gems. There are, however, a variety of other materials have been used to make faux, fake, substitute (or what other term you want to use) pearls. Fake pearls can be, amongst other things, painted over glass and plastic balls and small shells. This post offers … Continue reading Pearls and fakes : quick identification tips

The Mohs scale of hardness is used to identify the relative hardness of a substance, from copper to glass to alabaster.  The scale based on the ability of a harder substance to scratch a softer.  Diamond is able to scratch steel, steel is able to scratch wood, wood is able to scratch chalk.  In the … Continue reading An aid in identifying materials: the Mohs scale of hardness

Having a basic knowledge of paper is important for collectors and dealers. Many fakes and reprints are identified as the paper is too modern or the wrong type for the print to be an original. This following a brief look at some important types of paper throughout history. While the type and age of the … Continue reading Identifying and dating paper

Purchase a copy of Identifying Common Materials in Antiques: A Pocket Guide * * * * * Ivory is a traditional and valuable material that comes from from the tusks or tooths of elephants, hippopotamus, narwal whales, wild boars a a few other animals. Since ancient times, ivory has been used to make figures, buttons, … Continue reading Ivory, bone and fake ivory

A popular hobby in the 1800s was collecting 'scraps.' Scraps were small factory manufactured paper pieces depicting most every popular subject from cute animals to royalty, soldiers to flowers. They were nicknamed scraps because they resembled scraps of paper. They were sold to collectors in uncut sheets. With early sheets, the individual scraps had to … Continue reading Victorian scraps

The original posters were on thin poster paper and in person have strikingly high quality graphics-- crisp, colorful and bright. I have heard that most of the reprints are on cardboard. There was a find of unused original posters, so the originals can be found in strong condition.