Authentication2018-09-23T01:05:15+00:00

Authentication

Our authentication service is one of only a few like it in the world. Our specialty is ancient bronze but other types of antiquities are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. A basic analysis begins with an overall examination and assessment of the specimen with a comparison to known, published, and/or privately owned specimens. From there we move to a microscopic evaluation which will, in most cases. reveal evidence of forgery, fakery, repairs or restorations. Simple tests using heat, flame, UV light and solvents are generally employed where applicable with no damage to the specimen. Where ancient bronze items are concerned, the basic analysis is sufficient in roughly 90% of cases to determine authenticity with a high degree of accuracy. After this basic analysis, x-ray imagery is typically the step. X-radiographs can locate hidden repairs or restorations as well as internal features that may be consistent or inconsistent with authentic antiquities. We can also provide metallurgical analysis, wet chemical analysis, Scanning Electron Microscopy and accompanying EDS data and most any other lab test or analysis at the customer’s request. Basic authentication reports start at $349.00 and consist of 6-12 pages of images, micrographs, and other information specific to the specimen being analyzed, followed by a conclusion. In the event that an object proves not to be authentic, abbreviated reports can be filed at a much lower cost. We have saved our customers thousands of dollars over the last year alone that would have been spent on cheap reproductions or bad restorations. If you are going to spend your hard-earned money collecting and preserving antiquities, you owe it to yourself and to your estate to have them analyzed and appropriately documented.

We can also provide basic documentation of your collection or of individual pieces for the maintenance or establishment of provenance. This can be extremely valuable should proposed restrictions on ownership of cultural antiquities come into effect requiring collectors to prove that they owned a particular item before a restriction went into place. Our documentation service will provide photo(s), microphotos and a textual write-up of each item including references from museums, other collections and/or publications as requested by the client. Our documents are dated and can be notarized.

Check out some samples of our documentation: