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Discover Mid-America - March 2005

Why signatures and marks can sometimes be misleading

Most hand-woven coverlets have no signatures, when a signed and dated it will make the price zoom.

Don’t assume that because a piece of porcelain, glass, painting or furniture has a signature or maker’s mark that this means it was made by that person or company. Many important antiques such as Chinese export porcelain, Staffordshire and early Faience from France, Italy and Spain have no maker’s mark. And, what about American folk art carvings?

While an authentic signature or maker’s mark can up the value of items, many rare antiques may have no signature at all. However, since most hand-woven coverlets and fine quilts have no signatures, when a signed and dated fine example turns up, it will make the price zoom.

CLUES.

It is a known fact that signed pieces are more apt to be fakes and reproductions.

Because a piece of porcelain looks Chinese and has the identifying seal mark doesn’t mean it isn’t a recent reproduction, on made by the famous forger, Samson (19th century) of Paris. His marks are pseudo Oriental. They look Chinese or Japanese, but when compared with proper signatures they aren’t quite right.

Study the characteristics of the pieces you covet. Not only will you be able to buy with confidence without accepting the seller’s word but also discover unsigned treasures at bargain prices. Keep in mind not every dealer is the ultimate authority of everything he sells.

When you consider that copies of Meissen are made in Taiwan, and Chippendale-style furniture comes from the Philippines and Thailand, you’d better know how to recognize the characteristics that scream, “Fake!” or “Reproduction!”

Too many collectors are more concerned that the piece has a mark or signature, since “marksmanship” is status. In the final analysis, resale the value is in the authenticity. If you are tempted by an expensive but questionable piece, hire an appraiser to take a look. .

Prices vary for their services, but when big money is involved, spending a couple of hundred dollars for authentication may save money in the end. Many wealthy collectors and dealers hire such experts to browse major auctions and shows to buy for them.

These days, it becomes a question not of whether the item is a copy, but a copy from which century. Fine and popular antiques and collectibles have never ceased being copied. The good news is that these days early 20th century and late 19th century reproductions are being collected. Gone are the days of thrift shop bargains. All well and good, as long as you buy them as reproductions.

Paintings with signatures offer another problem. Have they been recently added? A magnifying glass will show if they are “raised.” Take what I have seen at many antique shows where supposedly quality, signed paintings were offered. Dealers have displayed signs proclaiming “every painting is signed and as represented.” It seems to me that such dealers are being rather presumptuous. They are in essence stating that (1) because the paintings are signed they are automatically authentic. And, (2) that they are the final word on their authenticity.

Where does that leave you as the potential purchaser? For one thing the dealer should be willing to put his words into writing when a piece is purchased. And, be willing to take it back should a “higher authority” find it not as represented.

Always beware of the words, “attributed to” or “in the manner of.” Do your homework. Don’t rely on signatures. In the 1970s, some unscrupulous dealers used dental drills to scratch “Steuben” on unmarked pieces of glass. Know what the various Steuben signatures look like and does the signature match the quality of the piece?

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