Tips for the Novice Collector

But, first I want to clarify something that all collectors with many years of collecting experience know. The chance that you find any expensive Ming or Qing ceramics in a thrift store, flea market, etc. is about as remote as winning the lottery.
So, if you have found some Chinese porcelain in such a place, please don't expect it to be valuable.
Mostly the items that can be found in such places are not even antique. At the very best they may be from the beginning of the 19th century, but even this is rare. Often such Chinese items are vintage or made within the last twenty or thirty years.

Another thing novice collectors must learn is that porcelain that looks old is not necessarily very old. In fact, there are vintage items that look much older than porcelain made over 200 years ago.
Please check these examples of 18th century porcelain from the gallery:

• The antique items shown on this page are relatively common export porcelain dishes and plates dating to the Qianlong reign (1736-1795).
• The second example is a Qing dynasty porcelain plate dating to the Yongzheng reign (1723-1735).
• This is a blue and white dish from the Kangxi reign (1662-1722).

Do they look that old?

Many of the common wares made for the average people during the 20th century are of lesser quality and sometime look outright old in comparison to these, even if they are only a few decades old.
Their glaze may contain sand or other impurities, giving them an old (or "rustic") look, but in reality they are just of low quality. Even the average porcelain never contains sand or other impurities on the outer surface. Sand may be present around the foot rim, depending on the firing method used.

Please learn to differentiate between this superficial "old-look" and real age signs. See page related to age signs of porcelain.

If you are just starting out, always keep in mind that an old look does not necessarily equal old "age". And, an old look can be easily faked. See age faking.

Summarizing the issue:

• An old look does not necessarily mean an item is antique.
• Antique porcelain can be looking new, but may be over 200 years old.
• Dirt or damage can make things look old, beware...

Novice collectors should avoid spending a lot on very old looking items at the beginning, before they are able to recognize real porcelain age signs. Better spend your money on books and visit porcelain collections in museums.

If you have an opportunity to learn with hands-on experience, grab it! Nothing teaches you faster and is less expensive than a teacher who know it already. Those of us who study porcelain on our own all had to pay our school fees*** - as the Chinese would say - just be careful not to pay too much. The trial and error method of learing can be costly and slow, sometimes.

*** At the beginning we all have bought old looking items and later learned they were only looking that way, the item price is the tuition.

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