It is very important to remember when buying antiques and vintage pieces that they will most likely exhibit some of the characteristic wear of anything that has been in use for some time. When this character becomes a positive sign of aging, it is generally referred to a 'patina'.  This term "Patina" includes:

• The lovely crackling of an aged furniture finish,
• The subtle crazing on the glaze on ceramics,
• The cracklure on an old oil painting,
• The sheen that aged silver takes on,
• The slight tarnishing of antique gold,
• The character marks on furniture that come with signs of age and use ... like a blueberry stain in a pie safe, ink marks on a child's desk, and the darkening of wood on the arms of chairs.

Patina softens the look of an antique and reproduction specialists work very hard to recreate patina which is something that cannot easily be faked. The unique way in which an antique shows its age, including its patina, adds to the value of fine antiques. However, many people differ in their opinion as to what is age appropriate 'character' which adds to patina vs. what is damage.

Most reputable antique dealers on eBay will make every effort to describe the condition of their items in detail and include numerous photos in their listings. However, even numerous photos can't tell the full story of the condition of an antique or vintage piece: color can vary by camera used to photograph it or by the computer monitor displaying it; close up photos can actually exaggerate imperfections, making them look larger and more significant than they truly are. Reputable dealers will not purposely misrepresent condition of a piece they are selling and usually will factor any existing condition issues into the opening bid of a piece.

However, it is very important as a buyer to be aware that the opinion of a vintage or antique piece's condition is highly subjective -- what the seller might consider 'patina' or 'character', you might consider to be 'damage'.  Antiques are never perfect!  Never "mint".   They've lived for many years and their patina and character marks don't detract from their value ... but rather add to the value because they show the years of loving use and care a piece has had. However, judging condition of a piece is very subjective. Should you purchase an antique or vintage item and the condition is not what you expected, you shouldn't assume the seller didn't give full disclosure, but merely that their definition of what constitutes 'damage' vs. what is 'patina', differs from yours.

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