Is This an Antique?
Is this an antique? For most U.S. buyers, that means an object about 100 years old or older — not merely vintage, and not a new piece made to look old. This free guide is for collectors, heirs, and shoppers who need a quick read at a stall or estate table before they spend money. It is not a certified or insurance appraisal. Antique Identifier's free tier includes three photo scans on the web or in the antique app; more identifications need a subscription. Use the checks below first. A photo scan is optional when you want a second look.
Scan a photo if you want a second look
Three scans are included on the free tier. You get a likely reading and an informational value range — not a certified appraisal.
Quick checks before you buy
Age is a claim until the object agrees with it. Before you negotiate, look at how it was made, where it is worn, and what is written on it. These checks are free and work without an app.
- Construction: Hand-cut dovetails, irregular saw marks, and oxidation inside joints support age on furniture. Machine-perfect joinery on a “Georgian” chest is a pause. See how to identify antique furniture for wood and hardware tells.
- Wear: Expect wear on feet, handles, rims, and the spots people actually touch. Uniform “distressing” on every surface, including hidden ones, is a common repro shortcut.
- Marks: Turn the object over. Read backstamps, hallmarks, paper labels, and country names. A mark is a clue, not a certificate — start with the pottery mark identification hub if the base is ceramic.
- Materials: Phillips-head screws, bright zinc, plastic fittings, and modern adhesives rarely belong on a claimed 19th-century piece unless someone repaired it. Repairs change value; they also change the story.
- Scale and smell: Weight should match the claimed material. Fresh stain, new-wood smell, or a hollow resin cast are easier to catch in person than in a listing photo.
Repro red flags
Reproductions and revival pieces are not automatically fakes — many are honestly later. The problem is a modern object sold as if it were old. Watch for:
- Catalog-perfect “hand” carving or printed marks that sit on the glaze instead of in the clay.
- Mixed periods in one object: an 18th-century form with 20th-century screws and a brand-new underside.
- Country-of-origin stamps that were legally required later than the claimed date, or grind marks where a stamp used to be.
- A price that only works if the age claim is true. If the story is doing all the work, walk.
Revival furniture, Colonial Revival glass, and later art pottery can still be worth owning. They are not antiques just because the style is old. Ask the seller what they mean by antique, and believe the object first.
When a photo ID app helps
A photo ID app helps when you need a fast second look — a category, a period guess, or a readable mark — and you will still verify in person. People looking for a flea market appraisal app usually want that pocket check between stalls. The same flow works as an estate sale antique app when you are triaging a table and cannot research every lot.
- Photograph the whole object, then the base, any mark, and damage. Bad light is the usual reason a scan is vague.
- Use the result to decide what to inspect next, not as a buy/sell order.
- Pair a scan with the estate sale profit calculator if you are buying to resell — fees and shipping matter more than a headline range.
The app cannot weigh the piece, open a drawer, or smell restoration. One photo also misses replaced parts. For how estimates are framed, read the antique values app page and the valuation disclaimer.
When you need an appraiser
Stop at a qualified appraiser when the decision is formal or expensive. Insurance schedules, estate division, charitable donation paperwork, court matters, and six-figure (or “this-would-hurt”) purchases need a person who can inspect the object and write a report. Antique Identifier does not issue certified appraisals and does not replace that work.
An appraiser is also the right call when authenticity is the whole question — a signed painting, a maker whose market is full of copies, or an object with a story you cannot document. Use the antique identifier app to sort ordinary lots. Hire a specialist when a wrong label would be costly.
FAQ
Scan a photo or download the antique app
Free to start: three photo scans on the web or in the iOS/Android app. Optional premium unlocks more identifications. This is a research aid, not a certified appraisal.
Keep going with sister pages:
- Antique identifier app — Photo ID and an informational value range. Free to start.
- Antique values app — What a photo estimate means and where it stops.
- Antique valuation factors — Condition, rarity, provenance, and demand.