Even the auctioneers get fooled sometimes so that made me feel a little better, but from now, whenever I buy antiques, I make sure I check off these guidelines in my head.



1. How Was the Cupboard Made?

I check here all the joints in the wood, if they are visible, and keep in mind that the joinery of an 'antique' would not be machine cut but would in actual fact be hand cut. At least, they would not be machine cut if the furniture was pre 1860, which is when machines were generally brought in to help with the manufacture of furniture.

To see a cut you'd need to remove a draw and have a close look at where the front and back of the drawer are fastened to the sides of the drawer. If a joint was made by hand, it would be dovetailed and have only a few dovetail joints, and they wouldn't be precisely even. If the dovetails are close together and precisely cut, it will have been machine-cut. Handmade dovetails almost always indicate a piece made before 1860.

2. Nicks and Cuts

Another great way to help identify the validity of an antique or hand-made piece of furniture would be to look closely for nicks and cuts on the back, sides and bottom of the draw. Nicks and cuts usually indicate a hand operated tool was used to plane, shave or cut the wood. Straight cuts, the kind you'd get from a straight saw, are also good signs whereas cuts that look circular in appearance mean that the cut was made with a circular saw, again not in use until after 1860.

3. Exact Symmetry

This is probably the easiest tell tale sign of machine made furniture compared to hand made. If something looks exactly symmetrical, chances are its been cut by machines.

4. The Finish

The style of finish is also a great way of identifying the age of a piece. Certain finishes were in use in different periods which is an excellent way to identify the age of your antique corner cupboard.

Although somewhat shady, it would be advisable to test the piece with denatured alcohol; if the finish dissolves, it's shellac. Shellac was the only clear surface finish used until Victorian times. In the mid 1800's, Lacquer and varnish were developed to replace it.

If the piece is painted, test it with ammonia; very old pieces may be finished with milk paint, which can be removed only with ammonia. If the piece of furniture is very dirty or encrusted with wax, clean it first with a mixture of denatured alcohol, white vinegar, and kerosene, in equal parts. If it is finished in this way, the corner cupboard will be pre 1850.

5. The Wood

Anything before 1700 was made from oak. From 1700 onwards, mahogany and walnut were the choice woods in furniture manufacture, particularly for antique corner cupboard variations. Pine normally indicates an American furniture piece and is normally indicative of a slightly cheaper piece of furniture. The really valuable, old antique corner cupboards will be made from oak, mahogany, walnut or cherry.

I hope you read this information carefully and remember the important parts of it when buying antique furniture, as it can be increasingly easier these days to be fooled by a swindling antiques valuer or sidestreet salesman.