<\/p>
With any top designers or classic pieces, you\u2019re likely to come across copies or fakes. Some will be more convincing than others, so you need to keep a beady eye on the market and know what to look for.<\/p>\n
We asked Salvage Hunter Drew Pritchard<\/a> to run us through his top tips for spotting fakes and copies of antique classics \u2013 and explains why buying a fake or copy might not\u00a0<\/em>actually be a bad thing.<\/p>\n The thing with copies is that good reproductions (and bad ones) have been made throughout history. Some look fantastic and there is nothing wrong with buying or selling a copy, as long as everyone is transparent about it.<\/p>\n Quality composite stone works for urns, fountains and statues. Done well, it\u2019s hard to tell a good composite piece from a carved stone example.<\/p>\n But, remember,\u00a0there is nothing like an original, and carved stone antique pieces will always be worth 10 times that of a composite piece.<\/p>\n If you want a bargain, look for a copy with patina and age that will only get better when you leave it outside.<\/p>\n Finally, a note of caution. Garden antiques are the only pieces we leave outdoors, so it\u2019s no surprise there\u2019s a roaring trade in nicked stuff.<\/p>\n Whatever you buy, keep the receipt, get the seller to write down as much detail as possible, write your name and address on the bottom in indelible pen, and photograph the piece.<\/p>\n For inspiration, check out our guide to how to incorporate garden antiques into your interior design<\/a>.<\/p>\n While you\u2019re here, have a read of Drew Pritchard\u2019s other tips for buying antiques<\/a>.<\/p>\n You may also like:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section> For every true Coalbrookdale there are around 500 or so copies on the market. Real benches have a crispness in the detail, and a depth and rigidity to the casting.<\/p>\n Copies are made from creating moulds that are used again and again so they lose that crispness. A fake can look as if it\u2019s slightly melted when arranged next to an original.<\/p>\n If it looks new, it probably is. A sign is any metric nuts and bolts that hold the bench together. Early Coalbrookdales were cast rather than bolted, and an original will be made out of six or seven elements \u2013 a copy will be made of two or three.<\/p>\n Coalbrookdale pieces have a casting mark and registration diamond. However, at various times, the company changed the location of its marks. If the piece has Coalbrookdale cast into it, it doesn\u2019t mean it is a Coalbrookdale.<\/p><\/body><\/html>\n By Drew Pritchard Published: Monday, 26 September 2022 at 12:00 am With any top designers or classic pieces, you\u2019re likely to come across copies or fakes. Some will be more convincing than others, so you need to keep a beady eye on the market and know what to look for. We asked Salvage Hunter Drew […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":14966,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"3"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2022\/09\/how-to-spot-fake-antiques-scaled.jpg",2560,1411,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2022\/09\/how-to-spot-fake-antiques-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2022\/09\/how-to-spot-fake-antiques-300x165.jpg",300,165,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2022\/09\/how-to-spot-fake-antiques-768x423.jpg",768,423,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2022\/09\/how-to-spot-fake-antiques-1024x565.jpg",800,441,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2022\/09\/how-to-spot-fake-antiques-1536x847.jpg",1536,847,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2022\/09\/how-to-spot-fake-antiques-2048x1129.jpg",2048,1129,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Drew Pritchard Published: Monday, 26 September 2022 at 12:00 am With any top designers or classic pieces, you\u2019re likely to come across copies or fakes. Some will be more convincing than others, so you need to keep a beady eye on the market and know what to look for. We asked Salvage Hunter Drew…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/14965"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14966"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14965"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14965"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}How to spot fake antiques<\/h2>\n
Composite stone vs carved stone<\/h3>\n
Look for patina<\/h3>\n
Get the details of provenance from the seller and mark it on the piece<\/h3>\n
How to spot a fake Coalbrookdale<\/h2>\n
Look out for signs of moulding<\/h3>\n
Check for nuts and bolts<\/h3>\n
Don\u2019t be convinced by a casting mark<\/h3>\n
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