Finding Authentic Antique Chinese Pottery

Pottery has been a fixture in China for more than six thousand years. Up to the seventeenth century the Portuguese imported Chinese pottery to places around Europe but they were supply popular that the country couldn't keep up with demand. The same allure of pottery from China is still present today, as many collectors look fro antique Chinese pottery at various places. It is important to find authentic antique pottery in this class though, as fake pieces can be found at many places.

Most of the times antique Chinese pottery can be found at auctions or estate sales. These are places where antique items that are passed on from one generation to the next can be found. Of course, professional groups will appraise these products to give out realistic market prices for buying these things. It will cost a good amount of money, but that is because authentic antique pottery from China is being sold. These pieces will clearly not be fake because of their high monetary values that are accurate with market costs.

There are some online antique stores that sell Chinese pottery. However, resale costs of these items can be low because they may not be authentic. Some of them may be counterfeit items.

One of the things that can be done for finding authentic antique pottery items from China is to get an idea of the characteristics of authentic pottery from different periods of time. The three main types of pottery that are from China are types that come from the Ming, Han and Tang Dynasties. Each of these eras had different popular designs for pottery.

Also, legitimate Chinese pottery would be ordered by Chinese royalty or other high level people in the country and would be marked. Specific seals of approvals would be made on these items. This type of seal is known as a reign mark. Some pieces may have reign marks that do not match the particular era that the pottery was supposedly made in. These pieces are clearly counterfeit ones.

A local library will have detailed information on antique Chinese pottery and information on how to find authentic pottery or to find if something is not legitimate. This includes details on exact reign marks and styles to look for.

Don't forget about shopping online for these products. Some sites may have blurry photos of items for sale. These photos may be blurry because the selling group is trying to hide the fact that the items may be counterfeit.

Finding authentic antique Chinese pottery can be tough with so many counterfeit items that are not authentic floating around the marketplace. By using these tips it will be easier to find the real thing.