Buying antiques: a beginner’s guide

Buying your first antique can feel daunting — a world of periods, makers and prices that seem to follow no rules. It needn’t be. After years of doing this, our best advice is refreshingly simple, and it starts with your own eye.

Buy what you love

The pieces people treasure are almost never the ones bought as an “investment”. They’re the ones they fell for. If a piece stops you in your tracks and you can picture it at home, that instinct is worth more than any rule book. Everything else is detail.

Learn to read condition and patina

Antiques are meant to show their age. That soft, mellow surface — the patina — is a good thing, and stripping it away usually destroys both character and value. What you want to check is structure: are the joints sound, do drawers run true, is anything worryingly loose or replaced? Honest wear is charming; instability is worth asking about. A good dealer will tell you exactly what you’re looking at.

Ask about provenance

Provenance simply means a piece’s history — where it came from, roughly when it was made, whether anything has been restored. You won’t always have a full story, but a reputable dealer will happily share what they know. Never be shy to ask; it’s how you learn, and how trust is built.

Antiques are the sustainable choice

There’s a lovely truth that gets overlooked: a hundred-year-old chest has already lasted longer than almost anything you can buy new, and it does so without a factory or a flat-pack. Buying antique is buying beautifully made, built-to-last, and genuinely green — often for less than the modern equivalent.

Buying from a dealer

Auctions can be exciting, but for a first purchase a dealer is the gentler path: you can see and touch the piece, ask questions, and get honest guidance without the pressure of a gavel. We don’t use an online checkout for exactly this reason — every piece is different and delivery is priced individually — so buying from us is simply a friendly conversation by phone or email. You can read how that works on ourFAQ page.

Where to start

Start with one piece for a spot you know — a hallway table, a mirror, a reading chair. Live with it, and you’ll find the confidence for the next one grows quickly. When you’re ready, have a browse, orcome and see us in Arundel — there’s no substitute for standing in front of the real thing.