Identifying antique furniture As the saying goes, what was old is new again and is as true with antique furniture as it is with anything else. With reproductions of antiques and antiques that have been repaired with modern techniques and materials, there is a need for you to know if you are, in fact, buying an original antique. The term reproduction is not necessarily a bad word so long as the piece is not being passed off as an original antique. Many people like the aesthetic looks of antique furniture but they are not willing to pay the price of an antique or they prefer the cleaner look that a reproduction offers. When identifying an antique piece of furniture, there are certain characteristics of style and methods of construction that help you determine if it is an original piece, a reproduction or a fake. Often the top of antique furniture will show signs of age like watermarks and nicks in the wood, while a reproduction will be smooth and clean with no signs of use. Additionally, when wood ages it dries out and shrinks, causing the wood to crack and creating separation between boards. Aged wood also has a distinctive surface color that comes from being handled and polished. Another difference between a genuine antique and a reproduction is antique furniture like cabinets were made with more than one kind of wood, with the unexposed parts of the piece, like drawer bottoms and sides, made of less expensive wood. With