Definition

Well, if you would like to start this hobby, you must know some of the terms and explanations of some related antique collecting hobby. First of all, what do you know bout the word "ANTIQUE"?

Establishing a collection of any kinds of antique requires also acquiring a lot of peripheral knowledge and the ability to recognize fakes. This is especially true with porcelain. There seems to be always much more to learn when it comes to shop for antique Chinese porcelains.

As for my personal knowledge, any object which has reached to the age of 100 year can be considered an antique. But base on some definition which I've surfed through internet and some other sources, an antique must show the age signs to be called such. Lets talk about Chinese porcelain for instant. It must originate either in the early republic Qing or Ming dynasties, or earlier. The question is, what is considered "early republic" period? Usually, antique collectors consider anything made after the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) during the 1910s or 20s as early republic, thus for us it ends 1930. Anything produced later than that is qualified as a "vintage"......

When shopping for antiquities, you will always come in contact with the thorny issue of provenance. This much beloved practice of mentioning provenance in antique dealer circles is of little real value, except in rare cases.

Provenance information relates to second-hand knowledge given by the dealer or seller and does not mean an antique item was properly identified or verified previously. Neither is it a guarantee that antiquities are genuine or that the original owner was capable of identifying all items correctly.

The only thing that can lend weight to an authenticity claim is if the dealer has a reputation as an expert in the field.

Provenance gives a false sense of security when buying antiques in general. Even in estate sales when items may come from high-class antique collections, you cannot be sure that the particular item is authentic.

Antique dealers who have really no intention to deceive customers in the first place may use provenance to show how legitimate an item is. This is more likely if they are not expert at identifying the item. It covers for their inability to judge. Buy from people who know their antiques, but don't rely on their judgement, rely on yours! Even dealers admit to occasionally buying fake antiques by mistake. They will often try to resell it to compensate for their loss.

Only with your own independent knowledge can you positively avoid problems of buying fake stuffs. Study all related points and learn to judge yourself whether a "lovable" item of yours is a true antique. :-)