Buying antique prints can be a daunting task if you have no guidelines to follow. Each antique dealer has different standards and it can be difficult to determine if the old antique print you are buying is the real thing or not. Can you just trust what the antique dealer is saying? What proves that the botanical print you are looking at is the real thing or not?
First get some perspective. Ask yourself how reputable a location are you in. If you are shopping in a consignment store that specializes in furniture, how can you be sure that they know that framed antique botanical print you are looking at is real or just a reproduction? Are you at a garage sale and the seller genuinely believes he has authentic old print, but it is really just a photocopy? Or are you shopping at an antique show and a specialized antique print dealer has old prints for sale and there is a certificate of authenticity behind each piece?
The circumstances of your purchase are important and you should follow your gut feeling. In the scenarios above I would choose the professional antique print dealer if I had no previous experience. That very dealer should able to answer your questions about authenticity and where the print is from. However we often find what looks like old prints in less than ideal conditions such as garage sales, swap meets, thrift stores, attics or even in an antique store. This is where you need some tools to verify authenticity.
To verify authenticity arm yourself with a jewelers loupe or a good magnifying glass (they cost about $8-15). Now look up close at the image. Do you see an even matrix of circular interlocking dots, if so then the print has been made in the last 100 years and could be a reproduction. An inkjet copy or even a photocopy share similarities to what is called "off-set" technology in which these dots are found. Your next step is to determine if it has some age or not. We are of course assuming that the older piece is probably not a fake.
Now look at the area of the paper that have not been printed. What is its color? If it is bright white I would start to worry as it may be printed on common photocopy or printing paper. Has the paper yellowed, looks stained or shows uneven spots of mold? This is a better indication that the paper may be old.
Now take your trusty loupe and look at the texture of the paper. Is the grain of the paper smooth or does it have irregularities, stains, spots, a rough web of fibers? If it does then your chances of holding the real thing are even better.
Taking all this into account should help you in your investigative work. We suggest you test your skills on obvious support for fakes by looking at brand new printing paper from your printer, observe the various papers for sale at your art supply store or even at the office supplies store. This way you will get a feel of what a fake could be printed on today.
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