In a depressed market, where 50% off the price of antiques compares very favourably with a 20-30% downturn in the housing market, investors should certainly be buying plenty of antique furniture.

A reduction in the price means that everyone benefits. At auction, fewer bidders means less competition, with less people taking part and more competitive prices as a result. However, when attending the auction it is crucial to locate where the weak areas are in order to take the fullest advantage. It is dealers particularly who are able to benefit from low competition where leaving very low bids can result in bargain ‘under the hammer’ prices.

Online shopping is also a great place to find good prices on antique furniture. Antique Furniture Bargains is a good place to begin your search. The site is affliated with eBay and thus you can shop the entire United States, or world for that matter, without leaving your home. And, your purchase will be delivered to your door.

The above is also true for Asian antiques. If Asian antique are your desire, The Asian Antique Shop offers great prices on antiques from all Asian countries. Like the above, Antique Furntiture Bargains, the world is your potential market and you can buy from the convenience of your home and have it delivered to your door.

The market may be cautious, but people are definitely buying antiques – and at competitive prices. In a market that will rebound, now is the time to buy antiques competitively in order to sell competitively later for future profits. Buying antiques across the country at competitive prices will ensure future healthy profits.

Why Is This A Good Idea for You?
Rare and beautiful objects never go out of style, while good craftsmanship speaks for itself. Furthermore, it's difficult to beat the charm and interest a good antique or vintage piece brings to any setting. When you add the fact that an antique grows in value over time, the initial investment is money well spent. The craftsmanship of earlier times created truly beautiful furniture that can't be replicated in the same way today that is anywhere near cost effective. Here is an opportunity to make a wise purchase for both love and money.

However, as with any significant investment in high quality, it's important to educate yourself before you take the plunge. It's a big world with a lot of wonderful antiquities for sale. You need a knowledgeable overview of what you find most appealing. You don't want to miss an exceptional find because you don't have a clue about what appeals to you in advance.
In the same way you determined what your personal style is, (and by extension the style of home you want to live in), the same process is used here. Antique furniture can be segregated into four broad categories; English, European, American and Far Eastern. You might begin with an investigation into each category to distinguish the features that are consistent to the category and which of these you prefer.

Browsing with an adventurous and open-minded outlook as well as a scholarly approach, can net you unexpected “found" treasures. You could start out looking for an English side table but find yourself transfixed by the beauty of a pair of French Fauteuil (Fauteuil are otherwise known as “chairs").

Fortunately, the pursuit of your higher education can easily start near home with the fine antique stores in the area. Take a field trip. Ask questions. Good dealers want to share their knowledge. It's in their best interest that you are a well-informed buyer who understands the quality, the market and the value of their inventory. There is no substitute for seeing and handling real furniture and accessories. It's the best way to learn. You can't appreciate the difference between a hand-rubbed wood finish that has the patina of age, and the standard wood finish you see on most new furniture, unless you see for yourself first-hand.

You can also broaden your horizons by attending lectures and seminars. Pore over auction catalogs and go to auction viewing rooms. They're great places to see, handle and learn about antique furniture as well.

While the best advice is always to buy the highest quality you can afford, a fine antique need not be museum quality (with the consequent price tag) to find a place in your home. There is such a thing as an excellent and reasonably priced antique.
Another avenue to explore is high quality reproductions. Chris Mead of English Country Antiques & Home Furnishings (26 Snake Hollow Road, Bridgehampton, 631-537-0606) says that while his store specializes in what he calls “usable antiques" such as small tables, or chests of drawers, there are times when it's neither practical nor cost effective to wait for the perfect specimen to arrive on the market.

Says, Mead, “This is particularly true with dining tables. The table of your dreams may not only cost roughly $10,000, but if you do find it eventually, there's an excellent chance that it simply won't be a workable size." In a case such as this, a reproduction of the table you crave can be made to order, with workmanship, finishes and patina so fine, only a seasoned expert would be able to distinguish it from the original.

Developing Your Own Designer Vision
You did your homework, legwork, and (Glorious Day!) finally, you found “IT." You love it, but where do you put it? There are two schools of thought on how to incorporate antiques with your current acquisitions. One school says, “Think in terms of contrast and juxtaposition." This concept works best if you use pieces from different time periods. For example, what if you placed a very modern steel and leather chair from the 1950s next to an antique Japanese Tansu? The design quality of both stands out in high relief.
Pulling the above approach off so it looks like you know what you're doing is tricky. It can backfire to the point of complete discord. The idea is to create a composition in three-dimensional space. Re-imagine what you see, so that all you are looking at is the color, shape, size, texture and/or design of the pieces you have chosen for your setting. Put everything in place and ask yourself if your vignette looks balanced. Does the scale work? A small delicate item sitting next to a massive heavy object just looks wrong. Do all the assigned furniture and accessories work in relationship to each other, or is any one piece placed too far out of the picture? Do you have a range of light, medium and dark tones? Is there a color punch somewhere?

When you work this way, the provenance of each item becomes coincidental. An unexpected combination of elements, and a mix of style “opposites" can elevate the aesthetic level from the “nicely decorated but ordinary" to “A Really Great Looking Room."

The other school of thought takes a more deliberately harmonious stand. Start with all of the suggestions stated above regarding creating a composition of your furniture arrangement. These suggestions are the “building blocks" you should always use. From here, take the basic framework further and look at the specific details of how things look together. Look for repetition or similarity in shape, size, curve, angle, color and/or design. How do the pieces reference each other? For example, you might have two lamps that are different but the same height and/or material. They could work flanking a sofa on either side if they both have the same type of lampshade. How about patterns that relate to each other? This visual process is how great designers manage to mix the best with the common to get a fabulous result.

Don't neglect to think outside of the box. Did you know that coffee tables didn't even exist before the 1920s? Be creative. That fabulous antique chest you just spied could also be used as a coffee table, and your living room will be more interesting for the addition.

A historically accurate room that looks and feels like a time capsule isn't a living space; you want an environment that's out of the ordinary because of judicious use of carefully selected, unique and special furniture and accessories. The final goal is to create rooms that you love to be in, the place you call “Your Home." No decorating scheme should be so rigidly constructed that it can't accommodate a “found treasure," even if it takes some time for the “found treasure" to land in the place where it will fit in the best.

In the end, the provenance of an antique doesn't matter as much as how it appeals to you. “More than any other consideration, the most important thing is to buy what pleases you aesthetically," says Nancy Toon of Hound Hill Design. “Rooms are meant to be lived in with objects you love".

Observe the dimensions. Authentic antique furniture does not have uniform dimensions since wood, which most antique furniture are made of, shrinks with age. Otherwise, there is a strong possibility that what you are eyeing for is not genuine at all. To clearly see the various angles of furniture, take the time to view it in broad daylight.

Test the solidity of the item. Antique furniture has no real value if it loses its functionality. What use is an authentic antique chair when you cannot actually sit on it? Antique shops allow buyers to sit or move items for verification. Antique experts also suggest this method.

Make sure that parts are available. Good quality antique furniture has complete functional or decorative parts as well.
Look for proof of antiquity. Since the age of an antique is one of the major determinants of authenticity, you should have the assurance that the item for sale passed the age definition of an antique which is at least a hundred years old. One way to verify this is to look for signs of depreciation in the item such as dust accumulation in its corners which are hard to reach by regular dusting. If these simple signs are not available, experts say, the item might not be as old as an antique should be. You must also consider whether a piece of furniture has been restored or refinished. Restoration on antique pieces may decrease the value of the item especially if done poorly.

Examine the surface color. The surface finish of a piece of antique furniture is also a significant detail to observe. A quality piece of antique furniture should show flat coloring except for some shades which might have naturally occur due to age. The back side of a piece may differ in appearance with the surface but it should have unvaried shades as well.

Ask questions to get more details. Ask about the era and style of the furniture which you may later research on to be more familiar with the item. You may also request for a warranty of the item.

Consider antique restoration. While some would no longer consider unstable antique furniture, you may choose to have the item restored to its former glory through the help of a professional antique restorer.

Antique restoration is the art of restoring an antique to its natural appearance with the purpose of making it appear new. In some cases, antique restoration refers to the process of restoring an antique for preservation or conservation of its features to avoid more wear and tear.

Antique furniture is very popular today. With the real estate market in the state it is in now, many real estate marketers believe that placing some antique furniture in a home will greatly increase the assumed sale value. Additionally, spending money on buying antique furniture for a home is a wise investment. The antique furniture never loses its value, and in many cases appreciates; the value of the antique furniture may increase as time goes by. Although it is very easy to buy antique furniture today (you can even get the delivered to your doorsteps by ordering it online), several factors are to be considered to make your purchase more profitable. This guide will help you to identify and buy the best antique furniture available out there.

Identifying the real Antique Furniture

You should always remember the fact that the word "antique" refers to any object that is more than 100 years old. When it comes to antique furniture, there are two types such as "real antique furniture" and "Antique design inspired furniture". The real antique furniture is a great treasure, which will be many years old. On the other hand, the antique design inspired ones will only reflect the antique design. The material will not be really antique. Identifying the real antique furniture is very easy. You may be aware of the fact that woods shrinks as a result of aging. Antique furniture will have irregular dimensions. If the finishing of the furniture is excellent and new looking then it may not be a real antique.

Determining the value of the antique furniture

All kinds of antique furniture will not have the same value. It depends upon several factors like age, quality, application, style, make etc. In order to find the value of the furniture, you need to be knowledgeable about antiques. You can get lots of information about antique furniture if you spend a little time researching on the Internet. Commonly, antique furniture will be valued based on the condition, rarity, and history.

Checking the Solidity of the antique furniture

You should also remember the fact that antique furniture retains its value only if it is fully functional. Most antique experts insist on moving and using the furniture to ensure the solidity and functionality.

Buying Antique Furniture online

You can buy antique furniture online and get it delivered to your doorstep while you just relax. However, it is very much important to make sure that the online antique furniture store of your choice is genuine as you won’t be able to check the furniture before they get shipped to you.

No matter how you buy it, the real antique furniture is a valuable asset in any home.
Article Source: http://www.ArticleBiz.com

MADISON, Wis. -- Antiques Roadshow, one of public television's highest-rated programs, made a return visit to Madison on Saturday.

More than 6,000 locals dug into their closets to be told by Roadshow appraisers if they were in possession of treasure or trash.
From antique furniture to historic bedding, the appraisers saw – and judged – it all.

"We're looking for that big item, that big ticket item," said Alasdair Nichol of Freeman's Auctioneers and Appraisers in Philadelphia.
Thousands dreamed that big ticket item was in their possession.

"I bought this in Chicago in the early 70s and paid about $100 for it," said Judy Roll of Merrimac, holding up a painting. "It was just appraised for $1,000-$1,500."

"Paintings are always popular items and there's certainly people coming in with them today," noted Nichol.
It would be easy to assume that people are selling items they wouldn't normally part with because of the tough economy. But appraisers say that isn't necessarily so.

"Some people say, 'I would never sell, it's a family piece,'" said Nichol. "Others, you sense that it's worth a lot more than you thought and it didn't have any particular meaning to them, so then they're willing to part with it."
Regarding her painting, Roll concurs: "If it were worth $30,000, I'd sell it, but since it's only worth $1,500, I'll hang on to it for a while."

One lucky Fond du Lac couple found out a painting they brought to Madison to have appraised is worth even more – anywhere from $50,000 to $75,000, the most valuable item appraised in Madison. They paid just $1,200 for the painting in the late 1970s.
But sentimental value will keep the painting in the family – for now.

The appraisals filmed Saturday in Madison will air nationally as part of Antiques Roadshow's fourteenth season, which commences in January
.
The season is scheduled to include three episodes from each of the cities on the show's six-city tour.

The Roadshow's next stop is Denver, Colorado, on July 25.