'True' Antiques

But that's not the truth. Or at least the latest experts tell now us that is not the truth. Supposedly, the 100-year-rule came about because there is a law stating that anything 100 years of age or older could be brought into the country duty-free. But, they say, that's the law and the law doesn't make it an antique.

To those who claim true knowledge of antiques, the designation is appropriate to anything made before or immediately following the Industrial Revolution.

Before the Industrial Revolution, they say, things were made mostly by hand. Then came the invention of all those newfangled machines and real workmanship went out the window. Before machines, each item was more or less one of a kind. So, quality or not, the piece was special in some way. Another reason for the special quality of an antique is that because it was handmade, the process was slow and labor intensive.

All that considered, however, an antique's age does not always make it valuable. Sure, there is some value in the antiquity of it, but just how much value is still in question.

The condition of the piece is one major factor. What the pieces were made of--fine wood, real brass, silver, leather, leaded glass or beveled glass--are other factors.

Some pieces are dated and signed. Those items are usually of greater value, but there are signed fakes out there, too, and it often takes an expert to decipher the real from the faux.

Some furniture designers, for example, were so popular their style was copied over and over again by many craftsmen. As years went by, resellers and buyers of these furniture pieces often assumed they were originals and traded them as the real thing. For example there are many Louis XV pieces that certainly are of that style but not necessarily made by the original craftsman.

So when is an old piece considered antique? The cutoff date for an antique ceramic is 1790. The cutoff date for furniture is 1830. The cutoff date for Louis XV is 1774.

(Rosemary Sadez Friedmann, a member of the American Society of Interior Designers, is president of Rosemary Sadez Friedmann, Inc., in Naples, Fla.)