Over the years, antiques have been passed down from generation to generation, from one antique shop to the next, and from flea markets all over the world to your home.  With the volume of households antiques have been in over the last 50-100 years, is it any wonder any of it is still in mint condition?

In the United States, collectors often want their antiques to be flawless. In other countries, some damage is more accepted.

I am often asked, “If I buy an item that is restored, does that make the value increase?”  That’s a loaded question.  It doesn’t make the item worth the same as if it was still in “original” mint condition.  However, it can certainly increase the interest in a potential buyer.

Should I restore my things?  It all depends on the type of item you are talking about.  To replace missing stones on a piece of jewelry, yes!  Should I refinish an American Highboy, probably not.

What’s a handy item to have when out antiquing? A black-light!  This handy little tool can help you detect if a piece of glass, pottery, porcelain or a painting has been restored.  Take the item and the black-light into a dark room. Turn on the portable light and hold it over the item.  Wave it from side to side and look for any spot to “jump” out at you.  If something seems to stand out, there might be some issues with the piece.

What if you want to buy a piece that needs restoration? Should you buy it, or should you pass?  In many cases, if an item is damaged, you can expect the value to be 10-20% of what it would be worth if pristine.  If an item is rare, that percentage would change.

So if you just happen to love the item, and it is priced accordingly, then by all means, buy it and enjoy it!  However, if your plans call to restore the item, you might contact your local restorer first to determine how much it would cost to repair it.  Restoration is often not cheap, and even though you are getting an item as a cheap price because of damage, the restoration costs might bring the total investment to the same or close to what you would have to pay if the item was in mint, original condition.

With all this said, where do you go to have your antiques restored?  For simple restorations, you can do a search online for “antique restorer (insert your city/state here)” and there should be plenty of restorers in your area.  If you have a bigger project, or an expensive item you want to make sure is restored properly, contact your local museum and speak with the curator in the department that exhibits your type items.

Finally, you can reach out to Old World Restorations at:  www.oldworldrestorations.com

Or Wiebolds: www.wiebold.com

Recognized 20th Century Decorative Arts Expert and Appraiser.  As seen on CBS “The Early Show” and NBC’s “The Art of Collecting”. Haines has written numerous articles and books on collecting. Her most recent pubication is “Collecting Wristwatches” for Krause Publications which comes out April 2010.  Reyne is a frequent appraiser on PBS Antiques Roadshow.

Once a piece of glass is chipped, you can’t make it whole again. After all, whether it’s a ‘flea bite’ or a chunk, there’s glass missing that can’t be replaced. Oh sure, sometimes you can glue the piece back in place, but what about the sliver missing from the rim of your favorite wine goblet? When Crazy glue just isn’t an option, it’s time to look for a glass repair person.

 Now there’s one very important thing to remember: the only way to fix a chip is to remove more glass. Whether you call it restoration, repair, or polishing, it comes down to the same thing. The glass repairman is going to grind down the chipped area and polish it to restore the luster. The amount of glass removed depends on the size and location of the chip, and the skill of your repairman. In some cases, a chip can be polished out so that the repair is virtually invisible. But if the chip is large, you will end up with a goblet that’s shorter than the rest of your set. Then what do you do? Should you throw it out and start hunting for a replacement?

 At this point, you have to ask yourself two things: 1. Why do I want to repair this piece? and, 2. Am I doing more damage to it than if I left it alone?

            Let’s answer question 2 first. If you can have the chip removed so that the repair doesn’t compromise the integrity of the item, then it’s probably a good idea to fix it. If the edges remain intact, the etching or decoration on the glass is untouched, and it looks the way it did before it was chipped, then ‘restoring’ it isn’t a bad thing. Glass collectors generally agree that such a repair is acceptable.

            Now on to question 1. If  you’re repairing the item so that you can use it without getting hurt, then repair it and enjoy. There’s a lot to be said for restoring your grandmother’s crystal so that it can once again be used at family gatherings. And given the pioneer spirit of our ancestors, chances are good that grandma would have taken an emery board and smoothed the chip herself. Once again, glass collectors would applaud your decision.

            BUT: if you’re repairing the item so that you can sell it as ‘perfect’ to an unsuspecting buyer, then I know I speak for the entire glass collecting community when I say leave it alone. Glass collectors have enough trouble trying to keep up with all the reproduction junk that’s flooding the market, and we don’t need the added headache of dishonest sellers misrepresenting things just to make a buck. Do us all a favor: leave the chip alone and get a job at McDonalds. They’re giving out really neat Coca Cola Glasses right now  – you can sell them instead.