Ebay is great and the buys are to be had, but there are many antiques that are misrepresented as real. There are two companies that provide these items to vendors, one Castle Antiques and Reproductions is located in Hawley Pennsylvania. They are the leading importers of Antique reproductions on the east coast, spoofing such greats as glass, mccoy pottery, ironstone and others.

Many of the items they sell have never even exsisted in a manufacturers line so they are not antiques, but wonderful items for an antique and decorator look.

Some molds where actually purchased from the original companies going out of business so the items made today are from original molds.

How to spot a fake:

General overall look on the Finish - mismatched mold lines, rough mold lines, bottoms not finished well. Much of the pottery even has "dirt" on the bottom, which is just dark glaze to look like dirt in order to fake wear. Wear is to even.

Cast iron - although rusted, which can be achieved either chemically or by burying it, will have a rough feel to it. Older cast iron has a smoother finish due to a finer casting process.

Glass - mold marks and seams, item not entirely imprinted with mold it was formed in. Rough finish.

Stained glass - uneven solder lines, glass quality in general.

Wood - true worm holes or are they nail holes ? Uneven wear as apposed to even "stressed" wear and appearance.

Also many marks have been reproduced but with sight differences to the real ones, your best defense purchase a good guide that shows marks. Some of the older porcelain and glass guides have great marks pages and can prevent you from a costly mistake.

When in doubt don't bid, if you see a Tiffany Lamp selling for a hundred bucks, it probably isn't .

Don't overlook these items as great decorating accessories for your home or office. These items can give you the look without the investment and some fakes have become collectibles in their own right with have some value to them.

Thanks for your time in reading this

Richard & Christine Gries Certified auctioneers and appraisel consultants.