Solutions

Antique identification, by what you are trying to do

Step-by-step workflows for the most common reasons people photograph an antique — and the point in each where an estimate from photographs stops and a person has to take over.

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  Sorting an inherited collection or a house clearance

  A step-by-step workflow for working through an inherited house or estate: what to photograph, what to set aside, and when the few significant pieces go to an appraiser.

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  Preparing to sell an antique

  A seller’s workflow: identify the piece, read the auction range rather than the retail one, document condition honestly, and choose where to sell.

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  Checking a piece before you buy it

  A buyer’s workflow for markets, fairs, estate sales and online listings: photograph the mark and construction, check for reproduction tells, and compare the asking price with both ranges.

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  Cataloguing a collection you already own

  A workflow for building a photographic record of a collection you own: identification, period, condition and a value range for each piece, kept on your phone.