Check on internet auction sites to see the final selling price of items you collect. As your collection develops, it is important to invest in reference books and magazines about your speciality. As you learn more about your collecting interest, you'll learn certain features or marks that were used during specific time periods. You'll learn styles of manufacture that were characteristic during certain eras. This will help you authenticate the region in which an item was made, as well as the manufacturer or artist.
Reproductions can be a problem in many collecting fields.
No dealer objects to people selling lower priced reproductions of expensive collectibles, as long as they are marked as such. Knowledge is your best protection against total fakes, new objects fashioned from old parts, and altered antiques. Knowledge is power. Know before you buy. The more you spend, the more important your education becomes.