3 Tips to Choose Antique Prints for a Gift

Choosing a gift is not always an easy task, especially when dealing in a domain we are unfamiliar with. We hope we can make it easier to choose antique prints for a gift by offering you some knowledge you can immediately use while shopping at antique malls, antique shows or even on the web.

As experts in original art, antique prints and old maps for over 15 years and as collectors for over 25 years we have accumulated a fair amount of knowledge in regards to determining authenticity of antique works of art on paper. We have dealt with over 100,000 different antique engravings, lithographs, etchings, watercolors and drawings some dating over 500 years. It is not as difficult as you may think to determine authenticity, however determining value is more demanding.

Your ultimate goal in choosing antique prints is getting the real thing, in a good condition and at a reasonable price.

• So first of all, what is the real thing? An authentic antique print must be authentic, meaning it is not a recent reproduction or a restrike (ie: a secondary pull from an engraving plate that was not the original intent of the artist or original publisher.) Reproductions or restrikes are common and worth a fraction to virtually nothing compared to their original counterpart, so you should avoid these.
• Secondly you should be searching for an antique print which is in good to excellent condition because this affects not only the esthetics of the piece you are buying but also it’s value. This means you are looking for a piece of paper that is described as such by a reputable dealer. eBay would not be such a place, you need someone that knows what they are selling and know where the print is from so you can avoid theft and misrepresentation. Each dealer will have their own definition of condition. For example, we do not believe there is such a thing as mint condition for prints. They all have some imperfection which has affected it over time. What you are looking for is basically a piece of paper with no tears, foxing, water stains or mold. If an antique print is described as good to excellent it should have none to very few of the problems we’ve listed.

• Thirdly you should be considering price. Antique prints have the convenient nature of being printed and there should be more than one of each out there in the world and with some luck there will be several to choose from on the web. Use your favorite search engine to find, using the exact words, in the title of the print if there is one or use as keywords the words from the title provided by the antique dealer you are working with. This only works if you are shopping on line, but your iPhone or blackberry is handy for this when at an antique mall. It is important that when you shop on line you compare two identical items, they must be of the same date of printing and be in a similar condition.

There you go, in a nut shell, you have the three elements necessary for choosing antique prints as a gift, may it be a gift for your loved one or a gift for yourself.