This is another in a continuation of columns offering assorted identification, authentication and collecting tips for sports and related memorabilia. These particular tips aren’t all-encompassing but intended to be simple and easy to remember.
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1800s Harper’s Woodcuts were issued in black and white. Any coloring was added later by the owner.
Harper’s Woodcuts are popularly collected prints from the 1800s New York magazine Harper’s Weekly. The prints included sports and non-sport subjects, from famous baseball teams to Civil War scenes to nature to famous stage actors. They were issued in black and white only, though owners sometimes hand colored them. The key to remember is any hand coloring is not how the print was issued and was added later. Whether or not you like the coloring or even think it adds to value is a separate issue.
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Gold streak test
Many people do the simple test of running gold along unglazed porcelain tile to identify if a piece is genuine or fake gold. If the resulting mark is yellowish-gold the piece is real. If the mark is black, the piece is not real. Rock collectors do this test to tell the difference between pyrite (fool’s good) and gold.
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Observe what genuine toning and wear looks like
A result of natural aging, genuine toning is even and throughout the card, print or other collectible. It doesn’t look like someone painted it on or the card was dipped in a cup of strong tea or baked in an oven. Many forgers try to make the item look old by artificially aging, but the painted on dipped in or baked on toning looks obviously fake to the seasoned collectors.
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Glassine paper was invented in 1905
Glassine is a super smooth, translucent paper that stamps commonly come in. A glassine item– whether stamp, trading card, photo or book– that comes in its original glassine envelope or bag couldn’t be older than from 1905. A glassine envelope is a great help in telling if that obscure antique item is from the 1800s or 1900s.
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Is that pearl real?
The most common and well-known test for a pearl is to run it over the edge of your teeth. A real pearl will feel sandy and gritty, while fake pearls tend to feel smooth. Similarly, if you lightly rub two pearls against each other, they should feel gritty not smooth.
If you have a string of pears and all the pearls are perfect and the exact same size and shape, they are probably not genuine. Genuine pearls are from nature and naturally irregular. Similarly, if you put a string of pearls black light, they should flouresce differently. If all the pearls fluoresce the exact same, they’re likely fake. Again, natural pearls from nature have natural variances.
Lastly, if it has a seam, it’s not a real pearl. It’s glass or plastic.
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Silver has a naturally dull finish. Only silver-plated pieces are shiny
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Antique advertising signs
Most antique advertising signs are rare. If there are many offered for sale online and in auctions, that is strong indication a sign was mass reproduced and you should take due care in determining if one is original.
On the flip side, if a sign appears old, that other examples aren’t found is further evidence it is authentic– or at least not mass reproduced.
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Real diamonds have precious metal mounts
When judging the authenticity of a diamond on a ring, pin, pendent or other jewelry piece, check the mount. In particular for modern jewelry, a quality diamond will be on a mount of precious metal, such as high-grade gold, silver or platinum. If the ring is made of brass, aluminum or steel, it probably isn’t holding a diamond. The type and quality of the precious metal is usually stamped into the metal and can be located somewhere on the jewelry.
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Mother of pearl: Real or plastic?
Mother of pearl, also called nacre, is a shiny material from the inside of some mollusk shells and the outer coating of pearls. It is strong and has been used as a fancy material for many items including jewelry, buttons and clock faces. Fake mother of pearl is often made out of plastic. Real mother of pearl will have a ‘click’ when you bite on it with your teeth (be careful!) and is colder than plastic.
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Check future and past columns for more quick tips!
