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Authenticity checklist

Reproduction red flags to check before you buy or sell

No single scratch, mark, color, or weight proves that an object is genuine or fake. A safer review asks whether the material, construction, decoration, marks, and wear are consistent with one another and with documented examples from the claimed period.

Use this page as a screening checklist, not an authentication certificate. Reproductions, later editions, restored pieces, assembled objects, and deliberate fakes are different problems and may require different expertise.

Four-part inspection

Material, weight, mark, and wear checklist

Work through every group. A warning sign becomes more meaningful when several independent details point in the same direction.

Inspection area

Material

Check whether the material behaves like the claimed category and period.

  • Look for modern plastics, fresh resin, plated surfaces, transfer decoration, or machine-perfect finishes where older materials or handwork would commonly be expected.
  • Compare glaze, paste, metal color, wood grain, fabric, and surface texture with documented examples from the same broad category.
  • Use caution when a surface coating hides the underlying material or makes every area look uniformly old.

Inspection area

Weight and balance

Unexpected weight can reveal a different material or modern construction.

  • Compare the object's weight with similar pieces of the same size and claimed material, not with unrelated antiques.
  • A piece that is unusually light may be hollow, thinly cast, resin-based, or made from a substitute material.
  • A piece that is unusually heavy may contain modern filler, a weighted base, thick casting, or hidden repairs.

Inspection area

Marks and signatures

A convincing mark must agree with the object, not merely resemble a logo.

  • Check spelling, letter shape, borders, spacing, symbol details, and whether the mark was painted, printed, impressed, incised, or struck.
  • A mark that looks sharper, darker, cleaner, or less worn than the surrounding surface may have been added later.
  • Treat a familiar maker name as one clue only; reproduced and later-applied marks are common concerns in many collecting fields.

Inspection area

Wear and ageing

Real wear commonly follows handling, contact, use, and construction.

  • Look for wear on feet, rims, handles, hinges, corners, bases, and other areas that would naturally receive contact.
  • Be cautious when scratches, dirt, crazing, tarnish, or chips appear evenly distributed or deliberately placed.
  • Old-looking surface wear does not prove that the whole object is old; parts, marks, mounts, and finishes may have different dates.

Context matters

Other signals worth checking

Construction does not match the claimed period

Modern screws, adhesives, welding, casting seams, staples, machine routing, or uniform tool marks may conflict with the date being claimed. None is decisive without category context.

The story is stronger than the evidence

Phrases such as 'from an old estate' or 'found in a family collection' do not establish age, maker, or provenance. Ask for records that can be checked.

Comparison photos avoid useful angles

Missing underside, base, back, join, mark, edge, or damage photographs can prevent a meaningful comparison. Request clear close-ups before buying remotely.

The price creates pressure

A low price is not proof of a fake, and a high price is not proof of authenticity. Urgency, secrecy, and refusal to allow inspection are more useful caution signals.

Verification path

What to do when several red flags appear

  1. 1

    Identify the broad category first, then compare the object with documented examples of the same type, material, and period.

  2. 2

    Photograph the whole object and every mark under neutral light; include scale, dimensions, and weight.

  3. 3

    Check whether material, construction, decoration, mark, and wear tell one consistent story.

  4. 4

    Search sold examples carefully, but do not assume a listing title or asking price is accurate.

  5. 5

    For a meaningful purchase, sale, insurance decision, or authenticity dispute, use a qualified specialist who can inspect the object directly.

Marks are supporting evidence

Compare the object and the mark together

A mark can narrow research, but it should agree with the material, manufacturing method, style, and likely date. Use the reference guides to compare silver hallmarks, pottery marks, and porcelain marks. If the evidence remains mixed, describe the item cautiously rather than assigning a definite maker or date.

Understand scan limits

See when visual guidance is useful and when a hands-on expert should make the final assessment.

Decide whether to pay for appraisal

Review common fee structures and lower-cost research steps before commissioning formal work.

Choose a selling route

Compare auction, marketplace, dealer, estate sale, and consignment options after documenting the item.

Start with clear evidence

Scan the whole object and its marks

Use AntiqScope to organize likely category, era, material, and value clues. Treat the result as a research starting point and seek specialist inspection when authenticity changes a major decision.

Scan for warning signs