Gaining in-depth knowledge of your collectible takes years. Accelerate the process by subscribing to Antique Week or Antique Trader Weekly. Both journals contain articles on fakes and forgeries. Each prints letters alerting readers to new frauds and deceitful practices at shows and auctions. Join a collecting club.
Clubs are an excellent vehicle for networking with other devotees.
Get to know the members and learn from their blunders and breakthroughs. Attend local meetings, the annual convention and read the club's informative newsletters. Look before you shop. Avoid antiques stores and malls that carry crafts, late collectibles and reproductions. The establishment that mixes diverse merchandise may unwittingly mix the old with the new.