Canfake: An Expert's Guide to the Tricks of the Canadian Antiques Trade

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

It is hard to come away from this book with much respect for the various
components of the antiques-for-sale marketplace. It seems that everyone
from your great-grandmother to national museums—and all the dealers,
shopkeepers, and auction houses in between—is up to no good. We can
dismiss the lot as purveyors of fakes and reproductions, providers of
improbable provenances, and misguided improvers of honest antiques.

Following a solid explanation of how the antiques trade works and of
the many avenues by which fakes can enter the field, Webster proceeds to
differentiate among fakes, reproductions, and made-up, improved,
married, or divorced pieces. His explanation of how a reproduction can
become a fake is fascinating, as are his tales of encounters with fakes
that could waltz past anyone but an expert.

Throughout the work, anecdotes, examples, background, and photo
illustrations are woven together to keep the tale of endless deceit
moving along at a lively pace. While the examples of audacious,
unscrupulous, greedy, and crass fakes pile up, Webster doesn’t let the
reader miss the lesson he is teaching: “To survive in this jungle,”
he says, “you need to be armed with knowledge, knowledge, and more
knowledge, plus a strong dose of skepticism, an analytical mind and
tenacious research skills.”

Canfake will appeal to anyone who has, or is tempted to acquire, an
antique. While it touches on pottery, glass, iron, scrimshaw, and
paintings, the emphasis is on furniture and silver.