Unlocking The Past: A Beginners Guide To Identifying Antique Furniture With Confidence

Antique furniture rewards careful looking. Age lives in the joinery you don’t see, the tool marks under a drawer, the way wood has oxidized and moved over centuries, and the story told by hardware, finishes, and style. This guide distills the most reliable, practical indicators so you can approach identification with a clear, methodical eye.

Start With Evidence Of Age: What Real Time Looks Like

Genuine age leaves a consistent pattern across a piece. Before jumping to style names, scan for these global indicators:

• Shrinkage and movement: Solid boards shrink across the grain over decades. Expect minor overhangs where top boards have pulled back, seams that aren’t perfectly flush, and drawers slightly proud or shy of the case seasonally. Veneer may telegraph substrate texture.
• Oxidation and color: Exposed surfaces darken; protected areas (under feet, hardware shadows, inside case backs) remain lighter. A natural gradient indicates age; a uniform tone everywhere suggests newer finish or artificial coloring.
• Wear in logical places: Edges of drawer lips, chair stretchers, and pull areas soften from handling. Undersides should show less wear. Perfectly even “wear” is suspect.
• Dirt and polish build-up: Wax and dust accumulate in carvings, around escutcheons, along moldings. Freshly “aged” pieces often lack convincing, compacted residue in these recesses.
• Tool marks and handwork: Subtle plane chatter, scribe lines at dovetails, hand-planed tear-out, or irregular saw kerfs inside unseen areas reflect pre-machine production.

These clues should harmonize. One or two “old” details floating in a modern assembly point to reproduction or heavy restoration.

Construction Tells The Truth: Joinery, Backs, And Bottoms

Construction is the backbone of authentication. Look where makers didn’t intend for you to look.

• Dovetails: Hand-cut dovetails (typically pre-1860) vary in size and spacing, with narrow pins and visible scribe lines. Mechanized dovetails (mid-late 19th century onward) are more uniform; late 19th-century machine pins often have a telltale rounded base. Extremely crisp, perfectly even micro-pins often indicate modern CNC production.
• Drawer bottoms: Older drawers usually have the bottom boards slid into grooves in the sides, typically grain running front-to-back on 18th-century English and American work; 19th-century Continental pieces often run side-to-side. Boards may be chamfered beneath. Plywood bottoms are 20th century.
• Secondary woods: The non-show surfaces reveal regional and period habits. Early American often uses pine or poplar; English interiors may show deal (softwood). Walnut/chestnut as secondary turns up regionally. Particleboard or MDF is modern.
• Case backs: Antique backs employ vertical boards (sometimes ship-lapped), secured with hand-cut nails or screws; saw marks may be straight (pit-sawn) on early pieces, or arc-shaped (circular saw), generally after c. 1840. Plywood backs indicate later manufacture or replacement.
• Mortise-and-tenon and pegs: Chairs and frames often use through-tenons pinned with wooden pegs. Pegs will be slightly proud or oxidized differently than surrounding wood. Uniform dowel joinery is usually later.
• Glue blocks and runners: 18th–early 19th century chairs and case pieces often have hand-cut triangular glue blocks; drawer runners and kickers show wear consistent with centuries of use. Machine-stapled blocks are late 19th/20th century.

Remember that repairs are common. A period case with one replaced drawer bottom is still period; you’re weighing the balance of evidence.

Wood Species, Veneer, And The Story In The Grain

Species and how they were used reveal both period and geography.

• Mahogany: Medium to dark reddish-brown; straight or ribbon stripe on quartered cuts. Popular in Georgian, Federal, and Regency pieces. Cuban and Honduras variants differ in density; early mahogany carves cleanly.
• Walnut: Rich brown with warm undertone; moderately open grain. English and American pieces feature walnut pre-1750 and again in later revivals. European walnut can be more figured.
• Oak: Prominent rays (especially in quarter-sawn oak). Heavy, durable, key for Jacobean and later Arts & Crafts. 17th-century oak often shows hand-planed surfaces.
• Cherry: Fine-grained, warm red-brown, darkens with light exposure. American Federal and Shaker furniture frequently used cherry.
• Maple and birch: Fine, tight grain; maple can show bird’s-eye or curly figure. Common in New England. Hard maple resists wear on table tops.
• Pine, poplar, chestnut: Typical secondary woods in drawers, backs, and case interiors.

Veneer clues:

• Early veneer (18th–early 19th c.) is comparatively thick and often hand-sawn, with slight irregularity at edges and saw marks on the back. Substrates were solid or laid on stable secondary wood.
• Rotary-cut, paper-thin veneer and veneered plywood cores are 20th century. Clean, laser-straight veneer seams signal modern fabrication.
• Banding, stringing, and marquetry on period pieces are fine and hand-inlaid; inlaid lines may vary subtly in width and depth.

Hardware, Fasteners, And Finishes: Dating The Details

Hardware and finish are easy to swap, but when original, they’re powerful dating tools.

Fasteners:

• Nails: Hand-wrought nails (pre-1800) have hammered, irregular shafts and rose heads. Cut nails (c. 1790–1890) have rectangular cross-sections and machine-formed heads. Round wire nails are late 19th century onward.
• Screws: Early screws were handmade—tapered shanks, off-center slots, and inconsistent threads. Machine-made screws with uniform threads appear mid-19th century. Phillips-head screws are 20th century; they should not be original on a Georgian chest.
• Hinges and locks: Cast brass with filed edges points to early work; thin, stamped brass is later. Lock plates with hand-filed wards feel different from crisp modern reproductions. Surface oxidation should match the surrounding wood imprint.

Finishes:

• Shellac dominated from the 18th century through early 20th. It dissolves in alcohol. French polish (shellac applied in many thin layers) yields a deep, warm gloss with subtle witness lines on edges.
• Oil varnishes appear in the 19th century; nitrocellulose lacquer becomes common after the 1920s; polyurethane is post–1950s.
• Old surfaces show alligatoring, worn-through edges, and dirt embedded in cracks. Bright, plastic-like gloss with no wear pattern suggests a modern topcoat.

Tests to use cautiously:

• Alcohol on a cotton swab in an inconspicuous area softens shellac quickly; lacquer thinner affects lacquer. Avoid over-testing; finish damage reduces value.
• A magnet helps differentiate solid brass (non-magnetic) from brass-plated steel (magnetic).
• UV light can reveal overcoats or overpainting, but interpretation requires practice.

Style And Proportion: Reading The Design Language

Style is seductive but must align with construction. Use it to bracket dates and regions.

• Early to mid-18th century (Queen Anne, early Georgian): Cabriole legs, pad or trifid feet, restrained carving, veneer with crossbanding. Hand-cut dovetails, pine/poplar secondaries.
• Mid- to late 18th century (Chippendale): Bolder carving, ball-and-claw feet, ogee bracket feet on case pieces, pierced splats. Mahogany prevalent.
• Late 18th to early 19th (Hepplewhite/Sheraton, Federal): Straight lines, tapered legs, oval or shield backs, neoclassical motifs, satinwood/stringing inlays. Delicate proportions.
• Early to mid-19th (Empire/Regency): Heavier masses, columns, paw feet, book-matched veneers, ormolu in high-style examples.
• Victorian (c. 1840–1900): Multiple revivals—Rococo (C-scrolls, cabriole legs), Gothic (trefoils), Renaissance (heavily carved), Eastlake (geometric incising, rectilinear). Machine turning and uniform carving increase.
• Arts & Crafts/Art Nouveau/Art Deco (c. 1890–1935): Honest joinery, quartersawn oak, organic curves, then streamlined geometric forms and exotic veneers.

Proportions, moldings, and ornamentation should be consistent. A “Chippendale” chair with Phillips screws and rotary-cut veneer is a contradiction.

Authenticity, Condition, And Value: How To Weigh What You See

Collectors prize originality, but many antiques have lived hard-working lives. Distinguish between:

• Original with honest wear: Highest desirability. Original surface, hardware, and untouched joinery.
• Sympathetically restored: Period-correct repairs using traditional methods and materials. Value remains strong, especially when documented.
• Over-restored or altered: Stripped finishes, sanded crisp edges into rounds, swapped hardware leaving extra holes, or modern topcoats. Value declines.
• Marriages: Parts from different pieces combined (e.g., 18th-century base with later top). Usually less valuable than wholly original examples but not necessarily without merit.

Provenance and marks:

• Maker’s labels, brands, stamps, or chalk inscriptions inside cases or beneath tops can be definitive. Ensure the oxidation of surrounding wood and fasteners matches.
• Retailer tags and patent dates help bracket age. A patent date is not a manufacture date but a terminus post quem.

Document everything with photographs and measurements. Recording drawer construction, hardware backs, and inside joints aids later research and appraisal.

Red Flags For Reproductions And Fakes

• Uniform wear and color everywhere, including hidden areas.
• Wormholes that penetrate finish evenly or perfectly straight rows—natural worm activity is random and predates later finishes.
• Modern fasteners visible where period ones should be; Phillips screws in “Georgian” furniture.
• Plywood, MDF, or particleboard in structural areas of a purportedly 18th- or early 19th-century piece.
• Veneer that is paper-thin, perfectly uniform, and with no substrate telegraphing on an “early” item.
• Carving that is crisp yet lifeless, with no tool chatter and identical repetition—often machine-carved.
• Fresh stain inside joints or under hardware shadows trying to mask new wood.

A Practical Checklist You Can Use In The Field

• Step back: Does the overall wear pattern, color gradient, and proportion feel coherent?
• Flip drawers: Hand-cut dovetails with scribe lines? Bottom boards in grooves, not stapled plywood?
• Peek inside: Secondary woods consistent with region and period? Glue blocks hand-cut, not stapled?
• Check backs and bottoms: Board backs with old nails? Saw marks straight (pit) or arced (circular)? Any plywood?
• Test hardware logic: Screw types and slots appropriate? Extra holes behind pulls? Cast vs stamped brass?
• Read the finish: Shellac vs modern coating (tiny alcohol swab test, if appropriate). Edge wear genuine?
• Inspect wood: Species identification fits the style? Thick, old veneer vs thin rotary-cut?
• Look for movement: Seasonal gaps and shrinkage; not a perfect factory-tight box.
• Note repairs: Are they period-appropriate and well-executed?
• Document: Photos of joints, backs, hardware backs, labels; measurements; observations.

Building Confidence: Research, Comparison, And When To Ask For Help

Even seasoned appraisers compare and consult. Build a mental library by:

• Handling known-period pieces in person, focusing on unseen surfaces.
• Keeping a reference file of photographs organized by joint type, hardware, and finish anomalies.
• Measuring and sketching profiles of moldings and legs; proportions are surprisingly diagnostic.
• Learning the habits of particular regions and makers—drawer construction and secondary wood choices are often consistent.
• Seeking specialist input for high-value or ambiguous items. A quick expert look can save costly mistakes.

Confidence grows from repeated, disciplined looking. Aim to explain each observation: not just “old,” but “hand-cut dovetails with visible scribe lines, pine secondaries, and a shellac finish consistent with late 18th-century American work.”

FAQ

Q: What legally counts as an “antique”? A: Most jurisdictions and the trade use 100 years or older as the definition of “antique.” Items under 100 years are often termed “vintage” or “collectible,” though some specialties use different thresholds.

Q: Are wormholes proof of age? A: No. Wormholes can be faked with awls or shot and then stained. Genuine worm damage is random, varies in diameter, and typically predates later finishes—holes will be filled with finish, not sharply cut through it.

Q: Should I refinish an old piece to “restore” it? A: Avoid stripping original surfaces; original finish and patina are major components of value. Clean gently, conserve, and make reversible repairs. If a refinish is unavoidable (e.g., unstable finish, severe damage), document the process and use period-appropriate materials.

Q: How can I quickly differentiate shellac from modern finishes? A: In an inconspicuous spot, dab denatured alcohol on a cotton swab. Shellac softens/dissolves quickly; lacquer requires lacquer thinner; polyurethane resists both. Use sparingly; even a small test can mar a surface.

Q: Can replaced hardware ruin value? A: It depends. Replaced hardware is common and acceptable when done sympathetically and in a period-correct style. Extra holes, misaligned escutcheons, or modern screws telegraph replacements and can reduce value. Original hardware, especially on high-style pieces, is a premium.

By approaching furniture methodically—starting with age indicators, testing construction, identifying woods and finishes, and cross-checking style—you’ll separate authentic period work from later copies with far greater confidence. Keep notes, compare often, and let the quiet evidence hidden inside a drawer or under a top guide your conclusions.