Frequently asked

Questions about antiques, answered plainly

Short answers to the things people ask before they know what they are holding — what counts as an antique, what cleaning costs you, where to sell, and what this app will and will not do.

What counts as an antique

How old does something have to be to be an antique?

A hundred years is the working definition, and it is the one customs authorities use — both UK and US import rules treat objects over 100 years old as antiques. The trade is looser in practice: dealers often describe anything made before 1945 as antique, and individual fields set their own conventions.

What is the difference between antique, vintage and retro?

Antique means roughly a hundred years old or more. Vintage means old enough to be characteristic of its period but not yet antique — commonly twenty to a hundred years. Retro means made recently in an older style, so a retro piece is new. Only the first has any customs definition behind it.

What if my antique has no marks at all?

Most antiques carry no mark, so an absent one proves nothing either way. Date the piece from how it was made instead: the joints and saw marks on furniture, the foot rim and glaze on ceramics, the seams and wear on silver. A mark narrows a search; it does not make an object genuine.

Does a signature or label make an antique more valuable?

It usually does, because attribution is what turns an anonymous object into a documented one. But a label is the easiest thing on any piece to add, move or fake, so it is evidence rather than proof. A label that agrees with the construction is worth a great deal; one that contradicts it is a warning.

Looking after it — and the mistakes that cost money

Does cleaning an antique reduce its value?

Frequently, and the damage is usually permanent. Polishing silver wears away engraving and eventually the hallmarks; stripping furniture removes the original surface buyers are paying for; scrubbing ceramics drives dirt deeper into crazing. Surface dirt is easy for a buyer to forgive and impossible to put back once removed.

Should I repair a damaged antique before selling it?

Usually not. An amateur repair is worth less than honest disclosed damage, and reversing a bad repair costs more than the original fault would have. Professional restoration only pays on scarce pieces where undamaged examples are genuinely hard to find. On common objects the bill routinely exceeds the value it adds.

How should I store antiques so they do not deteriorate?

Stable conditions matter more than ideal ones. Keep pieces out of direct sunlight, which fades and bleaches, and away from radiators and lofts, where swings in humidity split wood and lift veneer. Store silver away from rubber and wool, which tarnish it, and never stack ceramics without felt between them.

Selling, inheriting and what to do next

Where is the best place to sell an antique?

It depends on value. Below roughly a hundred pounds or dollars an online marketplace usually nets more than an auction once fees are taken. Between that and a few thousand, a regional saleroom reaches the buyers who want the category. Above that, a specialist department earns its higher commission through the audience it brings.

I have inherited a house full of antiques — where do I start?

Photograph every room before anything is moved, then sort into three groups: obviously modern, obviously valuable, and unknown. Handle the unknown group in bulk — a house clearance valuer will look at everything for a fee far below individual appraisals. Throw nothing away until somebody who knows the field has seen it.

How do I know whether something is worth having appraised?

Pay for an appraisal when a decision depends on the figure: insurance cover, probate, division between heirs, or a sale worth more than a few thousand. Below that, three comparable sold prices usually tell you enough. An estimate that sits confidently in the low hundreds does not need a professional to confirm it.

Why is an antique worth less than I expected?

Usually one of four reasons: it is far more common than it appears, condition has taken more value than it seems to, brown furniture and formal dinner services have fallen heavily out of fashion, or the figure you remember was a retail asking price rather than what anyone actually paid.

Using Trove

What kinds of objects can Trove identify?

Furniture, ceramics and porcelain, silver and metalware, glass, clocks and watches, jewellery, art, textiles, books and paper, toys and games, lighting, militaria and scientific instruments. It is strongest where a maker left a mark and the category is well documented, and it says so when the photographs will not support a conclusion.

Does Trove work on coins or stamps?

No, and this is deliberate. Numismatics and philately are graded on their own formal scales, where a single grade step can multiply value several times over, and that judgement needs the object in hand under magnification. Use a specialist grading service for coins and stamps rather than any photograph-based tool.

Do I need an account to use Trove?

No. There is no sign-up, no email address and no password — the app creates an anonymous identity on your device the first time you open it. Your scans stay in your own collection unless you choose to publish one, and the free trial and subscription are handled entirely by the App Store or Google Play.

Last updated: 4 August 2026