Investing in antiques is easy!

You can’t go far wrong. Unlike most new furniture, antiques will hold their value in both the short and long terms and will give you the added bonus of visual pleasure if you keep them at home.

But investing successfully in antiques is not so simple. And you can go badly wrong if you don’t follow some basic guidelines.

1. Do your homework. Talk to successul antiques dealers and read appropriate magazines and publications. You will start to become aware of patterns in supply and demand, as well as refining your own taste.

2. Trust your instincts. An antique can pack an emotional punch and if it connects with you it probably has something special about it. But don’t be afraid to get a second opinion.

3. Consider the relationships between the pieces you buy. For example, highly successful investment properties have been created in the past by enthusiasts for 17th century English oak and walnut. There’s no need to be so specialist, but a cohesive grouping will have more value than an overly eclectic combination, and a good collection sale can yield higher returns than a series of individual sales.

4. Age confers value, and the oldest pieces will always be the most sought after. In the 1920s people could still buy William and Mary or Queen Anne English pieces. Now they are almost out of reach. The supply of antiques is finite, so buy early antiques if you can.

5. Quality is a key factor. Outstanding craftsmanship and fine materials like beautifully aged walnut, oak and elm will enhance value. Signature pieces by renowned 18th and 19th century French and English cabinetmakers are few and far between, but never stop looking for them.

6. Think simple. Classic lines tend to avoid the vagaries of fashion more successfully than exotic creations.

7. But remember, eccentric rarities can occasionally have an unexpectedly high value. Again, trust your instincts and don’t be afraid of antiques with unusual character.

8. Don’t make low price a determining factor. Always buy the best you can afford. It will pay off in the end.

9. Buy from people whose taste and judgement you respect.

10. Keep your investments at home. Sit on them, eat off them, look at them. The pleasure is an immediate and ongoing reward. And if you have too many investments, just keep rotating them!

“Author” Robin Ruddy is a journalist, public relations consultant and now an antiques dealer who writes on antiques and French biodynamic wine. His French Provincial Furniture is the best selling book on the subject.

In France they call it a “coup de coeur”. In English I guess it’s “love at first sight.”

In either language it means the favourable impact a great piece of furniture, mirror or object make when you first see them, and it constitutes rule one in my list of five tips for good antiques buying.

If you’re new to buying antiques I hope this will help, if you’re a seasoned buyer, I hope you’ll enjoy my view of our world.

First impressions, whether antique furniture, paintings, mirrors or statues…

Always remember your first impression because it will remain true and that unique aura or personality of a piece will communicate itself just as strongly to others who see it.

There are the five rules I like to consider when buying antiques, but for now, I’m focussing on my number one “impact” – that initial feeling and the key aspects that should immediately strike you.

If furniture is made of solid or veneered wood

Are the colour and figuring pleasing? Take into consideration the light you are in. Remember a piece will look quite different in broad daylight or a candlelit room.

Does it have old or new gilding of a good tone?

Is the metalwork, such as handles, hinges or escutcheons, good looking and original?

One of my favourite examples of excellent workmanship is this 18th century French serpentine commode= – stunning wood and metalware.

If it’s an antique mirror

Is the glass plate original or replaced and does it have a good colour? (Old is best but these days you can get excellent replacements.) This late 18th century English mirror illustrates the striking effect of an original mirror plate. Although you may find it easier to see the effect by popping in to our showroom!

Does the size and angle you view at matter?

Is the piece the right kind of size and proportions for the place it will go into?

How does it look from different angles? Sometimes a piece will be positioned so that it can be seen mainly from a three-quarters angle.

Or it may need a good back if that will be visible. This French desk is double sided, so it looks great from both aspects.

If it’s a dining table, desk or coffee table does it seem the right height? You can always measure later to be sure. Also, are the legs good looking and sound when you focus on them alone?

Upholstery, joy or despair for your antiques

For upholstered furniture, are there any off-putting blemishes, is the piping straight and any buttoning correctly positioned? But don’t be put off a good frame by poor upholstery. It can always be changed, as you can see with this recently re-upholstered 19th Century English Chesterfield Sofa, perfect in a beautiful neutral linen, hopefully you agree.

The moment of truth

Lastly, stand back, close your eyes then look again. With all the above points in the back of your mind, if you still love it, then you will probably end up buying it!