How to Identify Quality Vintage or Antique Pieces

We consider ourselves vintage shopping connaisseurs. Not only is it one of our favorite pastimes, it’s also a great way to stock Dune’s shelves with extraordinary items that would fit perfectly in our customers’ homes. We scour through shelves and shelves of wares to find quality vintage antique pieces so you don’t have to.

We’re not ones to gatekeep this hobby either. We’d never tell you that you shouldn’t experience a successful vintage shopping trip for yourself! There’s something so special about scoring that vintage find that you’ve been looking for, bringing it home, and styling it in a spot that’s been calling for something special. We know that feeling all too well.

But how can you really tell if you’ve found something “quality”? What if you find something that you like, but you can’t quite tell if it’s a knock off or mass produced instead of vintage or antique, handmade by a craftsman with longevity in mind? We’ve developed a few no-fail techniques over the years for making that determination.

Purchase from a reputable source

Getting to know the people who run your local vintage and antique haunts can make your experience that much better. You’ll get a sense for their commitment to the integrity of the pieces that they sell, and likely start to understand the types of pieces they consistently bring in at high quality. Some vintage sellers are known for sourcing furniture, while others are adept at finding antique home goods that work great for styling. If you can trust your sellers, you won’t have to second guess the purchases you’re making in their shops.

Look for a maker’s mark

Many vintage and antique pieces, from furniture to candlesticks, carry a “maker’s mark”, which identifies the original craftsman. These can range from a simple brand to a brass plate or a tag on a textile. You may have to search for these marks, inside drawers, underneath the piece you’re thinking of buying, or even zipped inside a vintage pillow case. These marks are well worth finding though, as you’ll be able to nail down the date the item was created and do some research on the maker to find out if they were well-known in their industry for high quality work.

Get to know older techniques

Many vintage and antique pieces do not have a maker’s mark, so it’s helpful to be able to identify techniques from different time periods. For example, dovetailing in furniture signifies high quality work from a certain time period. Vintage rugs can be spotted by the high number of knots per square inch on their backing, and hand painted ceramics will have small inconsistencies that show that they were made by a human and not mass-produced in a factory.

Finally, just use your best judgment. If you’re not an antique seller yourself, knowing the ins and outs of the origin of your item isn’t completely necessary. Trust that if the piece you want to purchase looks to be well taken care of and made from high quality materials that it is not a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Does it speak to you? Does it tell a story? Then it’s worth it.