Reproductions: Figural Napkin Rings

Napkin rings first appeared in France about 1800 and their use soon spread to other countries. In a proper middle-class family, cloth napkins were used for an entire week between washdays, with each family member keeping their same napkin. Each ring had a different mark or design to identify whose napkin it held. Soon napkin […]

Fake Fenton Art Glass — Tips on Spotting Reproductions

Reproduction or “Made in China” Fenton art glass has been appearing on online auction sites and even in antique store displays. You can spot the true art glass made by Fenton Glass artisans in America. Collectors should always look for Fenton glass marks, artist signatures and artistic style to determine if the piece is authentic. […]

Fake Fenton Art Glass — Tips on Spotting Reproductions

Reproduction or “Made in China” Fenton art glass has been appearing on online auction sites and even in antique store displays. You can spot the true art glass made by Fenton Glass artisans in America. Collectors should always look for Fenton glass marks, artist signatures and artistic style to determine if the piece is authentic. […]

Mechanical Bank Reproductions

Most famous mechanical bank reproductions were made by the Book of Knowledge between 1957 and 1986. They were clearly labeled and never intended to fool collectors. Like the reproductions from the 1930s, they are now collectible. To identify banks made after the 1930s, appraisers look at the finish. Pre-1930s cast-iron banks have smoother surfaces, and […]

Union Pacific Belt Buckle

Q: I think this brass belt buckle came from my children’s great-grandfather. There are two clasped hands on the front and the words “Union Pacific, Railroad Company, Links East to West, 1866” on the front and “Made in USA” on the back. I’d like to know if it’s the real thing. What is it worth? […]

Folk Art Mask

Among the millions of items that can be found at an antiques show or a flea market, you wouldn’t expect to see duplicates, but some items are either unforgettable or plentiful. When covering a show, we still try to photograph any possible repro, like the tin Grape Nuts sign with the girl and dog or […]

Date Your Mickey Mouse Watch

The first Mickey Mouse watch was made in 1933. It cost $2.69. The record price for a real 1933 Mickey Mouse watch (with the original box) in good condition is $6,100, set at a 2014 auction. The watch’s image, copied from Mickey Mouse cartoons, shows a side view of Mickey’s body with moving hands and […]

Marcasite Jewelry

Marcasite is a semi-precious, opaque stone related to pyrite. It was cut into tiny faceted pieces and mounted in bezels for expensive jewelry, glued in place for inexpensive pieces. Marcasite jewelry had been made since ancient times and then forgotten by the Middle Ages. But when Prince Albert died, his wife, Queen Victoria, didn’t see […]

Wells Fargo Buckles

Old fakes never die. They just hide for a few years and reappear after they are forgotten. Carl Wilhelm Becker (1772-1830) is still probably the most successful antique coin forger and his coins are a puzzle even for modern collectors. The largest fake scam of the 1970s was the Wells Fargo Belt Buckle exploit. Large […]

Phrenology Head

We all know palm readers can tell you if you are intelligent, how many children you will have, or if you will live to a ripe old age from the lines in your hand. At least that is what palm readers say, even today. Phrenology was a medical theory promoted by a German doctor, Franz […]