Make Sure Antiques Really Are Just That

If you’re going out antique shopping, take a magnifying glass and ruler with you. They can help you spot tiny flaws that indicate the purported antique is a fake, furniture expert George Read says.

For example wood shrinks across the grain. If a round tabletop is perfectly round when measured in two directions, it’s new. If the table is old, there should be a difference of about one-eighth inch per foot.

Forgers sometimes will use genuinely old wood - from 18th century barns or houses - to make new tables billed as antiques. This is especially common with country pine furniture, Read warns.