Updated: As a buyer of primitives in old paint on Ebay you don't want to be stuck with any fakes. After more than 30 years in the antiques business i know first hand the sting of having bought a reproduction or a nice old box with fake paint, the price of my education?

I buy my things locally here in Maine and i ask around......talk to dealers and auctioneers....wanting to know who consigned, etc. I eventually get a pretty good feeling about things. I know for a fact that here in Maine there are a few very "artful" fakers. Personally i'd rather have the item look less than perfect than buy a forged example.

The standard test is to look very carefully at any old age cracks or chips and if there is paint in it, this is a red flag. But perhaps it is overpaint....nice old overpaint and then it is possible to have paint in these cracks. I have been told that when the fake paint is applied, there is a substance that is put on cracks and chips so the paint does not penetrate these areas. The paint can be treated so it will chip and peel just like good old paint. It's a nice old box but is the paint really old? As you look, be suspicious to a degree. 

I've been a dealer here in Maine for over 30 years. My niche is painted primitives, rugs and folk art and I used to enjoy finding great pantry boxes and firkins with amazing old paint. For the past several years now, the 'FABULOUS' fake painted ones have appeared on the market in numerous quantities.

Does it have a "greasy" look? Some of the ones i have seen here in Maine that are old boxes with well done FAKE paint look slightly oily.

Another tact i have discovered for fake paint is the "dirt" residue, looking a bit like ashes as if the item has been stashed away in some barn or attic for years.  If the "dirt" looks ashey or frosty, take heed. Always take the item into the direct sunlight, if possible. Look carefully at all the tiny cracks and crevices and then as a whole and ask yourself if the wear is consistent with how the item was used. 

 And good luck to all the hopeful buyers out there, i hope you find your savy, honest sellers! There are plenty of us out there!