Skip to content
Home » Antique Tiger Oak Buffet Appraisal: Antique vs. Vintage: A Beginner’s Guide to Fine Furniture Pieces

Antique Tiger Oak Buffet Appraisal: Antique vs. Vintage: A Beginner’s Guide to Fine Furniture Pieces

  • Andres G 
  • 4 min read

Think you’ve got an antique on your hands?

Answer the following questions to find out:


Is the item at least 100 years old?

Is it worthy of collecting?

If your furniture piece has seen its 100th birthday, then you’re looking at an antique. If your furniture piece can be traced back to a remarkable time in contemporary history, then it’s possible you’re looking at something vintage. While antiques must meet certain criteria, vintage, on the hand has a different set of rules. First, it need not be as old as 100, but it should be culturally significant, it should be considered valuable, and it should be worth more today than when you first acquired it.

antique tiger oak buffet appraisal

A Nicely made circa mid 20th-century Vintage solid wood Oak Buffet (this is not an Antique Tiger Oak Buffet Appraisal)

That’s not considered an Antique. We will develop a method to explain how you can see if the furniture is a real Antique or a Vintage Piece!

The Sum of its Parts: Using metal fixtures to date your vintage furniture

Mother may not have told you, but you can get more than a bad case of tetanus from those metal screws and plates found on most old furniture.  Whether it’s nails, latches, keyholes or hinges, the secret of your antique’s birth century can be unlocked by carefully examining its metal parts. Antique hunters know, the texture and construction of metal fixtures can vary distinctly from century to century. So, the next time you’re rummaging around in grandpa’s attic looking for your next big ebay treasure to sell, pay careful attention to that steamer trunk’s keyhole plate. The treasure is all yours.

Metal screws can give an accurate interpretation of the age of Antique Tiger Oak Buffet Appraisal

Latch on 1920’s steamer trunk; courtesy of ptcstudio.etsy.com

How can you find the maker’s name of a furniture?

You can find the maker’s name of a piece of furniture by searching for the stamp, manufacturing tag, or the label that has the name of the person that made the furniture. These markings are usually located inside the drawer or on the back of a chest of the drawer or on the underside. The back of the furniture is also another place the name of the maker may have been placed. Additionally, looking at the lower edges of furniture, especially on the side or back edges, where a metal tag might be attached is another place these markings may have been placed. “The maker’s mark bears the initials of the maker in a shield approved and registered at the assay office.”

For example, is a rare and unique piece of furniture dated back to the 19th century may be colonial style and massively produced. The way to determine the era of an antique buffet like the Antique Tiger Oak Buffet is by the style of the furniture. The best way to evaluate an antique is to get the furniture appraised by taking it to an antique shop or show or hiring an appraiser. The markings are usually located on the back of the buffet part or the sideboard or under it. The company that produced this furniture used to engrave, burned, etch, or inked their name, dates and/or cities on the back part of the furniture

Do you need confirmation?

Once you have spotted a valuable furniture piece, you may need confirmation from an expert. This is crucial to avoid painful losses and obtain the maximum value of your furniture. With an expert appraisal report, potential buyers feel more confident about purchasing from you. This leads to higher selling prices and speeds up the process. One of the top online appraisal services is Appraisily, you can contact the best furniture appraisers through this link (and you don’t need to move the furniture, everything is done online, through photos and descriptions).

Antique Tiger Aak Buffet Appraisal: Get Online Expert Help

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *