Do you remember the very first time that you held an antique and fell in
love?

I do.

It seems like yesterday when I purchased the beautiful Royal Nippon cobalt
tea set. The hand painted roses and asters, the raised gold detailing,
the hand applied beads of wicker white moriage, the fat, squat teapot and
ooooohh, the tiny, perfect feet!

I was instantly head over heels in love with that set and still am; it sits
proudly on display on a tea cart in my living room. Of course, no one is
allowed to touch it, although my 13 year old daughter and I do,

Question: I just inherited a house full of what "appear" to be good quality antiques. But I am not an antiques expert and I only want to keep a few pieces. I am overwhelmed. What Should I Do? Here are Harry Rinker's recommendations:

There are two questions about every antique and collectible: (a) what is it and (b) what is it worth? The first involves authentication. What exactly and I looking at? The second is valuation, i.e., understanding what a piece will bring in a specific secondary sales market. When you do not have the expertise, you need to buy it.

With a new American administration just barely one week old, we felt compelled to add this bit of trivia regarding the very first presidential inauguration:

Indiana Jones,a bit beaten up and battered from one of his adventures, said, "It's not the years, Darling, it's the miles." When I get out my jeweler's loupe and examine a new shipment of antique French postcards, I am often astounded that many have survived the years with hardly a wrinkle. How can something that is 100+ years old look like it was printed yesterday?

We asked Harry Rinker: Do you think that changes in our country’s political climate affect the antiques and collectibles trade? Here is his response:

Points to Consider Before Refinishing Antique Furniture:

- Is your piece out of the ordinary? Is it a masterpiece or classic example of craftsmanship? Make sure refinishing won’t diminish the value of your furniture.

- Was your furniture made by a notable craftsman or manufacturer, regardless of its age? Look for any marks or labels that might indicate the origin on the bottom or back of the piece.

The lineage of rocking horses can be traced back at least as far as herds of play stick ‘hobby horses’ roaming Europe at large in the 15th century. By the Middle Ages, men of noble birth trained for the joust while seated on mechanical contraptions that simulated the movement of a real horse beneath them.

With a new Lane now dedicated to items made of silver (other than jewelry) we thought addressing the issue of puzzling or easily misconstrued maker's marks on silver might be of interest to anyone who offers antique and vintage silver in today's marketplace.

A Bit of History

Hi Jewels, just want to warn you about a very deceitful practice in the antique watch industry concerning the marking of watch cases as "14K" gold. The best way to do this is through images. Take a peek at these two watches, I will show you the watch first, and then the mark.

Waltham hunting case ladies watch:

There are two primary types of Porcelain, with a third distinguished by nomenclature when a specific additive to a basic formula is included:

Hard Paste Porcelain